Hawks +7(-110)
Bucks vs. Hawks Game 4: Trae Young Likely Not 100 Percent (Archive)
Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young is questionable for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night. Which way to lean at top sportsbooks?
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Atlanta Hawks
Tuesday, June 29, 2021 – 08:30 PM EDT at State Farm Arena
TNT has the coverage of this game; and the TNT telecasts have been vastly superior to those of ESPN, which has the Eastern Conference Finals. We also get “Inside the NBA” when TNT has the coverage and there’s no better sports studio show.
With Milwaukee up 2-1 in the series, the Bucks are -1300 favorites on the NBA odds at to win it and claim the Eastern Conference title for a first time. Atlanta is +790. The favored result is Bucks in five at -135, and that’s probably going to happen if Milwaukee wins this one. The other options: Bucks in six at +250, Bucks in seven at +600, Hawks in seven at +1400 and Hawks in six at +2000. The over-under for series total games is 5.5, with the over a -135 favorite.
NBA Finals MVP odds already are up as well and Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is the +125 favorite. That’s about the only honor the Greek Freak has yet to win in his stellar career. Teammate Khris Middleton is +800.
Bucks’ Dynamic Duo Too Much
While the Bucks should now win this series, they did blow a 2-1 lead (and 2-0) in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Toronto.
Nowadays, it has been proven that a team needs at least two stars to win a title; see LeBron James and Anthony Davis last year or Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry the year before. I could go on.
What Milwaukee has that Atlanta doesn’t is two stars: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. They were fabulous in Game 3 as Middleton tied his playoff career high with 38 points, including outscoring the Hawks by himself 20-17 in the fourth quarter, and added 11 rebounds. Middleton had totaled just 30 points on 12-for-36 shooting in the first two games.
The Freak had 33 points and 11 rebounds for his 13th double-double in 14 games this postseason – he’s -400 at sites like Intertops to have another one Tuesday. Giannis and Middleton became the first pair of teammates to both record 30 points and 10 rebounds in three games of a single postseason. The Bucks have been dominated in the paint vs. Atlanta. They had outscored the Hawks 132-84 through the first two games, and that margin was 56-34 on Sunday.
Atlanta is essentially settling for jumpers and the Bucks are driving to the basket. That also has led to Milwaukee getting to the free-throw line more. Giannis was just 6-for-13 from there in Game 3, though. That’s going to become a problem in a close game. The Bucks are 2-5 ATS in their past seven as road favorites.
Expect Hawks’ Young To Play
Could this be the last game in Atlanta as Hawks coach for Nate McMillan? He took over on March 1 for the fired Lloyd Pierce and the Hawks took off. I can’t imagine the team allows McMillan to get away, but he doesn’t have a contract after this season. His leverage is dwindling by the day, though, as teams like the Celtics, Mavericks, Pacers and Trail Blazers have filled their openings.
The big story here is Atlanta star guard Trae Young. Not sure I’ve seen a player be injured by a referee before in an NBA game, but that’s what happened late in the third quarter of Game 3. After having the ball stolen from him by Jrue Holiday, Young inadvertently stepped on the right foot of referee Sean Wright, who was standing out of bounds.
It really wasn’t anyone’s fault, but it completely changed the complexity of Game 3. Young went to the locker room and when he returned, the team still led 93-88 with 8:44 left, but Young just wasn’t the same. He had 32 points before the injury and was 1-for-4 for three points after. The Bucks closed on a 25-9 run.
While the Hawks originally said Young sprained his ankle, an MRI on Monday revealed a bruised right foot. That’s actually better news. Young will be listed as questionable Tuesday and surely would sit if it were the regular season, but we expect him out there.
Injuries truly have been the story of these playoffs, from Anthony Davis and the Lakers to James Harden/Kyrie Irving on the Nets to Mike Conley on the Jazz to Kawhi Leonard on the Clippers. Keep in mind that Atlanta lost arguably its second-best player, forward De’Andre Hunter, for the postseason after the Knicks series. Guard Bogdan Bogdanovic is far less than 100 percent with a knee injury.
As long as Young plays, this spread feels too big. The Hawks are 20-7 ATS in their past 27 at home.
NBA pick: Hawks at +7 (-110) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The pick reflects the line at the moment the writer made the play, the odds at the beginning of this article show the live line movement. Since the lines might vary, don’t forget to refer back to our live odds.