NBA Playoff Betting June 23 – Atlanta Hawks at Milwaukee Bucks

It’s not quite the Eastern Conference final we expected, but the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks earned their way in by toppling higher seeds in the second round with a Game 7 road win. Game 1 of the series takes place on Wednesday. The Hawks stunned top-seed and huge favorite Philadelphia behind the heroics of Trae Young while the Bucks got a 40-point effort from Giannis Antetokounmpo to pull off a thrilling clinching win over Brooklyn. The two stars will be the focus of this matchup, but it will come down to role players going above and beyond. The Bucks opened as a 7-point favorite, the largest spread in any of their playoff games this season.

Atlanta Hawks at Milwaukee Bucks
Date and Time: Wednesday, June 23, 2021, 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
Opening NBA Odds: Milwaukee -7, O/U 226
Hawks at Bucks TV Coverage: TNT

Odds Analysis

After knocking off the top-seed with a pair of wins in Philadelphia, including the Game 7 stunner, the Hawks still aren’t getting much respect. They hit the board catching 7-points and that number has been wagered to 7.5. Playing as the lower seed once again, the Hawks will need to win at least one game on the road, which hasn’t been a problem in the previous two series. Atlanta beat the Knicks in the Garden to open the first round and jumped ahead of the Sixers with a road win to open that series. Overall the Hawks are 4-2 SU and ATS on the road this postseason winning twice in each of the first two series. The Bucks have to feel fortunate about the way things worked out. They have home court advantage and it’s been just that for them with a spotless 5-0 record in these playoffs in their barn.

Atlanta Hawks

This group has the chance to do something no team in the history of the Atlanta club has ever done. Since moving to the ATL in 1968, the Hawks have never advanced past the conference finals. The last time the organization played for a championship was in 1961 when the club was based in St. Louis. That was around the time many of the parents of today’s players were being born. Obviously history isn’t on their side, but that has meant little to this group. They overcame all sorts of difficulties to get here and they aren’t about to slow down. The teams was left for dead early in the season and wasn’t even considered a playoff bunch when they were 14-20. A coaching change and accountability led to a surge that saw the Hawks go 27-11 since March 1 to finish as the sixth-seed with a record of 41-31.

And the success spilled over into the postseason led by the dynamic play of Young. He’s led the team in scoring in 10 of 12 playoff games reaching the 30-point mark six times. And five of those scoring outbursts came on the road. He notched a playoff-high 39 points in the crucial Game 5 of the Philly series. But the Hawks aren’t all about Young. Five players reached double figures in Game 7 of the previous series led by Josh Huerter’s 27 and the Hawks won with defense. they held opponents to 100 points or less in five games and are allowing an average of just 105 points per game with the UNDER going 9-3.

Milwaukee Bucks

How quickly the outlook can change. After losing a big lead in Game 5 of the quarterfinals to the Nets the Bucks were on the verge of another painful postseason exit. This year was supposed to be different after not reaching the Finals in the previous two campaigns despite boasting the best record in the NBA both times. The team upgraded its roster to avoid another catastrophe. With their backs against the wall, the Bucks showed they are resilient by blasting Brooklyn in Game 6 and winning Game 7 in overtime.

If you think the Bucks are going to breathe a collective sigh of relief knowing they won’t have to face the Sixers, think again. This team has been motivated by its past playoff failures and they certainly aren’t going to take the Hawks lightly. After all you have be a good team to reach the conference final. When they needed him most Antetokounmpo delivered dropping 40 with 13 boards in over 50 minutes against the Nets in Game 7. The Bucks will need Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday to come through offensively against a club that’s been aggressive on defense.

Bet Hawks at Bucks at BookMaker.eu

Recent history doesn’t mean much now, but I’ll bring it up anyway. Giannis had a pair of double-doubles as the Bucks took two of three during the regular season and they’ve won 12 of the last 14 meetings overall. The Hawks aren’t going to cave, which is why I like the points, but the Bucks have been unbeatable at home this postseason.

NBA Score Prediction: Bucks 112, Hawks 107

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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com