NBA Odds: Bucks (even)
It will be a matchup between two of the league’s top scoring defenses when the Milwaukee Bucks (31-23) play against the Atlanta Hawks (43-12). The game gets underway at 3:30 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 22 and will air on SPSO and FSN-WI.
The Bucks were victorious over the Nuggets 89-81 on Friday. John Henson played well, finishing with 14 points, four rebounds, and four blocks for the Bucks. The Hawks, meanwhile, are coming off an ugly 105-80 loss at the hands of the Raptors on Friday. Al Horford posted seven points, 12 rebounds, and four assists.
From an effective field goal percentage perspective, this will be a battle of strength versus strength when the Hawks have the ball. Their sweet-shooting offense ranks third in the NBA in that metric at 52.9%, while the Bucks are fifth-best in the league in effective field goal percentage defense (48.1%).
The two teams have split their matchups this season. The Hawks had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 90-85 win. Jeff Teague was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Bucks look to build on their records of 31-23 Straight Up (SU) and 34-20 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 20-13 SU and 22-11 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. Something to watch out for is if Milwaukee can force its opponents into turnovers and convert them into baskets. They’ve done an excellent job of that all year with an average of 19.0 points off turnovers per game.
On the other side, Atlanta has a SU record of 43-12 and an ATS record of 36-19. In Eastern Conference games, Atlanta has gone 28-8 SU and 22-14 ATS. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Hawks. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the league at 1.9. Atlanta’s defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking fifth in the NBA with only 97.0 points allowed per game. Atlanta may be taking trips to the free throw line early and often with the Bucks averaging 22.3 fouls per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA.
Atlanta beat Milwaukee in their most recent meeting this season, bringing its SU record in the past 10 games to 8-2. The Hawks also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Milwaukee held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last 10 meetings. Atlanta never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – ATL, ATS Winner – ATL
Notes
Milwaukee is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games.
Milwaukee is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Milwaukee’s last 25 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee’s last 6 games.
Milwaukee is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Milwaukee is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Milwaukee’s last 14 games when playing Atlanta.
Milwaukee is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games when playing Atlanta.
Milwaukee is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta.
Milwaukee ranks 20th in points per game with 99.0, while Atlanta ranks fifth in points allowed with an average of 97.0 given up.
On average, Milwaukee puts up 98.5 points per home game (ranked 21st), while Atlanta gives up 98.4 points per away game (ranked eighth).
In its last game, Atlanta lost by a 25-point margin. Milwaukee is 3-2 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Atlanta has a 7-3 record in blowouts.
The Atlanta Hawks have a fantastic 30-3 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Milwaukee Bucks are 16-13 when they score less than 100.
Atlanta has a 13-9 record when allowing at least 100 points. Milwaukee has a 15-10 record when it hits triple digits.
The Bucks have a defensive rating of 99.5, third-best in the NBA. The Hawks also rank in the top half of the league for their offensive rating of 106.7 (ranked sixth).
Milwaukee is ranked fifth in the NBA with an average field goal percentage of 46.5%. Atlanta is an even 7-7 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, Milwaukee attempts 18.9 three pointers and Atlanta attempts 25.6 per game. Both teams have winning records when they have 25 or more three point attempts. The Bucks sit at 4-1 and the Hawks are 25-7.
The Milwaukee Bucks rank 21st with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.51. The Atlanta Hawks have a higher A/TO (1.93), ranking second.
Atlanta ranks 27th in rebounds per game with 41.1, while Milwaukee ranks 25th with 41.4.
The Atlanta Hawks rank 30th in offensive rebounding, while the Milwaukee Bucks rank 23rd in defensive rebounding.
On average, the Hawks force a turnover rate of 15.4%, ranked sixth in the NBA. When the Bucks turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 19-10 record.
