NBA Recap: Bucks Knock Off Hawks in Big Eastern Conference Clash

Another huge night in the National Basketball Association as the jockeying for postseason positions continues. The biggest game of the night went down at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, where the white-hot Bucks took care of the Atlanta Hawks by a score of 98-95. Let’s break down that one and the rest of the action from this busy night of basketball action and NBA basketball betting lines:

— The Bucks rode the hot scoring of John Salmons (32 points) to register their third straight win and 15 in their last 17.  There’s no question that Milwaukee is the NBA’s hottest team — what was one considered a fringe competitor for the playoffs is now withing striking distance of the Hawks for 4th place (and home court advantage) in the East. The Bucks have already put a good distance between themselves and the likes of Miami, Charlotte and Toronto.

— Out West, the San Antonio Spurs survived a 45-point outing from Kevin Durant to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 99-96. The Thunder seemingly had the game under control with a 14-point lead, but some inspired play from Manu Ginobili (21 points on 7-of-16 shooting) rallied the Spurs to victory. The win kept the Spurs within striking distance of 6th place in the Western Conference; they’re now tied with the Thunder at 42-27 and just 1.5 games behind the streaking Phoenix Suns for 5th place.

— Both the Spurs and Thunder are still looking up the standings at the Utah Jazz, however. The Jazz captured a big victory on Monday night with a 110-97 decision over the Boston Celtics. Led by Deron Williams’ outstanding performance — 22 points and 11 assists — the Jazz ended Boston’s four-game winning streak and kept a stranglehold on 4th place in the West and the all important home court advantage that comes with it. Of note, Boston head coach Doc Rivers was ejected late in this contest after picking up two technical fouls with 1:11 left. Rivers mock applauded referee Ed Malloy and that proved to be his undoing — Malloy teed up Rivers and pointed towards the tunnel, tossing the coach from the game.

Things are really heating up throughout the league as the postseason creeps near. It looks as though some new faces will be participating in the National Basketball Association — Milwaukee and Oklahoma City, most notably — so now is a great time to get in on all the NBA Basketball betting action. If you’re looking to lay a wager or two, be sure to do it at the Sports Interaction online sportsbook — your one-stop shop for all the best in NBA basketball betting lines!