The Milwaukee Bucks visit Philips Arena to take on the Atlanta Hawks. The game starts at 7:30 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 20 and will air on FxS and FWi.
The Hawks won big over the Bulls 113-90 in their last game. Jeff Teague had 17 points, eight assists, and five rebounds for Atlanta. The Bucks, meanwhile, are coming off a 99-92 win over the Wizards in their last outing. Khris Middleton shot 9-for-17 and led in scoring with 27 points.
It could be an error-filled game for the Bucks offense, which ranks 27th in the league in ball security (turnover percentage of 15.5%). They’ll be facing the ball-hawking Atlanta defense, which forces the second-most turnovers in the NBA (16.2%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Bucks won the first game 108-101. Giannis Antetokounmpo played a huge role in the victory by recording a double-double with 28 points and 16 rebounds.
The Hawks look to build on their records of 31-25 Straight Up (SU) and 26-28-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 31-25 SU and 26-28-2 ATS against teams from the Eastern Conference. Atlanta has the second-most assists in the NBA, averaging 25.3 per game. Turning to the defensive side, the Hawks are the third-best team in the league at taking the ball away from their opponents, averaging 9.5 steals per game. If its opponents turn the ball over, Atlanta has shown that it knows how to capitalize. They average 19.3 points off turnovers, making them the top team in the league for that category. Milwaukee has a habit of getting in foul trouble (22.5 fouls per game), so expect the Hawks to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
On the other side, the Bucks head into the game with records of 27-27-1 ATS and 22-33 SU. Milwaukee has records of 22-33 SU and 27-27-1 ATS against the East. A large part of Milwaukee’s game is creating turnovers and turning them into points. They are scoring 18.6 points per game off turnovers, which ranks fifth in the league.
Milwaukee won the last meeting this season between these two teams, but the Hawks still lead the head-to-head record, 8-2 SU, over the last 10 matchups. The Hawks also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Atl
Notes
Milwaukee ranks 25th in points per game with 98.1, while Atlanta ranks seventh in points allowed with an average of 99.9 given up.
Milwaukee ranks 27th in points per away game with 95.6 points, while Atlanta ranks eighth in points allowed at home with 98.8.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Atlanta Hawks are a solid 20-9. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Milwaukee Bucks have a losing record of 9-22.
Atlanta has an 11-15 record when allowing at least 100 points. Milwaukee has a 13-10 record when it reaches the century mark.
The Bucks have a defensive rating of 106.7 (ranked 24th). The Hawks rank 16th for their offensive rating of 103.6.
On average, Atlanta has 98.9 possessions per game and scores 1.036 points on each possession. Milwaukee has both fewer possessions (96.1) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.021).
Atlanta is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 51.6% (ranked sixth in the NBA). Milwaukee is an abysmal 2-22 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Atlanta ranks near the top of the league in assists at second (25.3 assists per game). Milwaukee is ranked eighth, with 22.9 assists per game.
Atlanta makes an average of 5.5 blocks per game (ranked ninth). Milwaukee ranks higher in blocks with 5.6 (ranked eighth).
The Hawks and the Bucks are well matched when it comes to rebounding. Atlanta is ranked 30th in offensive rebounding, and Milwaukee is also ranked 30th in defensive rebounding.
The Atlanta Hawks average 9.5 steals per game (ranked third). The Milwaukee Bucks have a poor record of 7-17 when they allow at least 9 steals.
