NBA Playoff Betting – Hawks Will Force Game 7

Leading in to the Hawks’ first round NBA playoff series against the Bucks, not may prognosticators gave Milwaukee a chance in the playoffs. Supporters became even scarcer when Atlanta opened the series with consecutive wins on home court. However, the Bucks have won three straight since to turn the series around, and are now one win away from a date with Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round.

Atlanta Hawks @ Milwaukee Bucks
April 30th – 7:00 PM ET
Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Broadcast: TNT
NBA Playoff Betting Line: Hawks -2

The Bucks have made up for the loss of their starting center with an excellent team effort both on the glass and at the offensive end. There may have been some nerves for a young team opening the series on the road, but those concerns have died down since, and Atlanta must now win two straight to get to the second round.

The Week That Was: Hawks

Atlanta looked unstoppable over the first two games of this series, establishing an early 22-point lead in the first half of Game One en route to a 102-92 win, before cruising past the Bucks with another double digit win in Game Two, 96-86. The Hawks were getting balanced scoring from Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Al Horford all reaching 20 points in the second game, and it appeared as though Milwaukee simply had no answer. That changed when the series shifted to Wisconsin however, and although Atlanta continued to put up the offensive numbers, it had no answer for the Bucks offense, which came alive with an average of 19 points better in Games Three and Four than what they put up in their two losses. When the Hawks shifted their focus to defense on home court for Game Five, the struggles shifted to their offense, which put up a series-low 87 points.

The Week That Was: Bucks

Milwaukee struggled with team scoring in its opening two losses, failing to get much scoring outside of rookie of the year candidate Brandon Jennings and veteran guard John Salmons. That changed when the series moved to the Bradley Center however, with six Bucks reaching double digits in Game Three, led by 16 from Jerry Stackhouse, and 11 from both Luke Ridnour and Ersan Ilyasova off the bench. Ilyasova doubled that effort in Game Four, and Carlos Delfino exploded for 22 points as Milwaukee put up a series-high 111. An 18-5 run in the fourth quarter would lead to the Bucks moving within one win of the second round.

Outlook & Pick:

The Hawks were the better team on paper leading in to this series, and that hasn’t changed. Milwaukee has been more focused and more determined in taking three straight, and although they will want to end the series on home court, Atlanta should be able to force a Game Seven with a better effort at both ends of the floor. Joe Johnson can’t do it on his own, and will need Josh Smith and Al Horford to raise their games once more to send the series home for the deciding game.

NBA Playoff Expert Prediction: Hawks