A 10-game road winless streak could come to an end for the Milwaukee Bucks (36-37) with a win over the Atlanta Hawks (55-18) at Philips Arena. The game gets underway at 7:30 pm ET on Monday, Mar. 30 and will air on FSN-WI and SPSO.
The Hawks were beaten by the Hornets 115-100 on Saturday. Mike Muscala put in a solid effort despite the loss for Atlanta, recording 18 points and 10 rebounds to earn his first double-double of the season. The Bucks, meanwhile, are coming off a 108-95 loss at the hands of the Warriors on Saturday. Jared Dudley posted 13 points, five rebounds, and two steals.
Over the last five games, Zaza Pachulia and Ersan Ilyasova have been on a tear for the Bucks. During that stretch, Pachulia has averaged 14.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.0 steals. Not to be outdone, Ilyasova has put up 19.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 steal, 0.8 blocks, and 2.4 three-pointers.
It could be a sloppy game for the Bucks offense, which ranks 29th in the league in ball security (turnover percentage of 16.4%). They’ll be facing the gambling Atlanta defense, which forces the fourth-most turnovers in the NBA (15.9%).
The Hawks have won two out of three against the Bucks this season, including a 97-86 victory in their last matchup. Paul Millsap recorded a double-double with 23 points and 16 rebounds.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. The Hawks enter the game with records of 55-18 Straight Up (SU) and 44-29 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 34-10 SU and 26-18 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. Atlanta is excellent from the perimeter with 731 three-pointers made (10.0 per game), the third-most in the league. Spreading the ball around is a huge part of Atlanta’s offense. They are second in the league in assists with an average of 25.5 per game. Transitioning to the Atlanta defense, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Hawks, who allow only 95.8 points per home game. The Hawks are fifth in the league in steals with 9.0 per game. If its opponents turn the ball over, Atlanta has shown that it knows how to capitalize. They average 18.2 points off turnovers, making them the fifth-best team in the league for that category. Milwaukee has a habit of getting in foul trouble (22.2 fouls per game), so expect the Hawks to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
On the other side, Milwaukee has a SU record of 36-37 and an ATS record of 40-31-2. Milwaukee has a record of 25-18 SU and 26-15-2 ATS against the East. A large part of Milwaukee’s game is creating turnovers and turning them into points. They are scoring 18.7 points per game off turnovers, which ranks fourth in the league.
Following the Hawks’ latest win over Milwaukee, their SU record rises to 9-1 over the Bucks in the last 10 meetings. Additionally, the Hawks lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Atlanta and Milwaukee each held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last 10 meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – ATL, ATS Winner – ATL
Notes
Milwaukee ranks 22nd in points per game with 97.8, while Atlanta ranks sixth in points allowed with an average of 97.3 given up.
Milwaukee scores an average of 97.5 points per away game (ranked 20th), while Atlanta gives up 95.8 points per home game (ranked fourth).
When the Bucks allow fewer than 100 points to their opponent, they are 27-11. When the Hawks score fewer than 100 points, they also have a winning record (19-10).
The Milwaukee Bucks have an underachieving 9-26 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Atlanta Hawks are 36-8 when they hit the century mark.
The Bucks have an offensive rating of 100.1 (ranked 25th), while the Hawks rank ninth for their defensive rating of 100.7.
The Atlanta Hawks have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking third in the league with a FG% of 46.5%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Milwaukee Bucks have a subpar 5-18 record.
The Milwaukee Bucks rank higher for their field goal percentage (ninth) than their effective field goal percentage (14th), while the Atlanta Hawks rank the same for both metrics (third).
Atlanta ranks near the top of the league in assists at second (25.5 assists per game). Milwaukee is ranked seventh, with 23.3 assists per game.
Atlanta makes an average of 4.7 blocks per game (ranked 13th). Milwaukee ranks higher in blocks with 5.0 (ranked ninth).
The Atlanta Hawks rank 30th in offensive rebounding, while the Milwaukee Bucks rank 25th in defensive rebounding.
Making 9.5 steals per game, Milwaukee is ranked second in the NBA. Atlanta has an outstanding 17-5 record when it gives up at least 9 steals.
