Atlanta Hawks vs. Milwaukee Bucks Game 1 Prediction, Playoff Odds
It’s a rather unlikely NBA Eastern Conference Finals matchup starting Wednesday from Milwaukee as the third-seeded Bucks host the fifth-seeded Atlanta Hawks in Game 1. The Bucks are 7.5-point favourites for the opener on the NBA odds with a total of 227.5.
Hawks vs. Bucks NBA Playoff Odds
On the moneyline for Game 1, the Bucks are -322 and Hawks +265. Both the over and under 227.5 points are -110.
Well, if you predicted a Hawks-Bucks Eastern Conference Finals, kudos because this writer sure didn’t. Not a huge surprise that Milwaukee made it, but few saw Atlanta getting past the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the semifinal round.
This will be the first time Atlanta and Milwaukee meet in a playoff series since the first round in 2010, so there are no players still around from then. On this series line, the Bucks are -556 and Hawks +330.
The Bucks were last in the East Finals in 2019 when they took a 2-0 lead over the Toronto Raptors but then lost the next four to the eventual champions. Atlanta was last in this round in 2015 and was swept by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Milwaukee won the regular-season series 2-1 and won their lone home meeting 129-115 on Jan. 24. The Hawks were quite mediocre back then and hadn’t fired Coach Lloyd Pierce yet. They have been one of the NBA’s best teams since replacing Pierce with Nate McMillan on March 1. McMillan’s contract is up, but it’s highly unlikely he goes somewhere else.
Atlanta is 12-3 against the spread in its past 15 in Milwaukee. The under is 4-1 in the previous five meetings overall.
Atlanta Hawks
We had the Hawks covering a 7-point spread in Game 7 in Philadelphia on Sunday but didn’t expect them to win, especially with starting forward Bogdan Bogdanovic in question with a knee injury. He did play but was ineffective with four points in 21 minutes. If you had told this writer that Atlanta star Trae Young was going to shoot an ugly 5-for-23 from the field, I would have been sure that the Sixers won the game. However, the Hawks pulled the 103-98 stunner. Young’s 21.7 shooting percentage was tied as the fourth-worst (minimum 20 attempts) in a Game 7 in NBA history. Kevin Huerter was the surprise star with 27 points.
Atlanta is the second team ever under the current playoff format (since 1984) to reach a conference final without having an All-Star on the roster since the 1994 Indiana Pacers. Young is an All-Star-calibre player and was one in 2020 but was a major snub this year. Atlanta is 7-3 ATS in its past 10 after a win.
Milwaukee Bucks
None of the four conference finalists (Suns and Clippers from the West) have won a title since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976-77. The Bucks have won an NBA title but never the Eastern Conference. Huh you say? They won the 1971 NBA Finals when located in the Western Conference. Neither East champion would have home-court advantage in this year’s Finals.
Milwaukee has the benefit of an extra day of rest after an epic Game 7 victory, 115-111 in overtime, at the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. It was the NBA’s first do-or-die OT game in 15 years. If Nets star Kevin Durant had his toe about an inch further back on a shot in the final seconds of regulation, it would have been a 3-pointer and a victory instead of 2-pointer and a tie. The Bucks trailed that series 2-0 and had been 0-15 all-time in a best-of-7 in that scenario. They caught two major breaks in it with injuries to Kyrie Irving and James Harden. Milwaukee star and two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo struggles with 3-pointers and free throws but averaged 31.9 points and 12.9 rebounds in the Nets series. The Bucks are 5-2 ATS in their past seven after a win.
ATL
MIL