Atlanta Hawks (49-35) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (54-29)
June 23, 2021 8:30 pm EDT
The Line: Milwaukee Bucks -7 ; Over/Under: 226
(Get latest betting odds)
The Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks meet Wednesday, June 23 in Game 1 of the NBA East Finals at the Fiserv Forum. The Hawks are coming off a seven-game series with the 76ers. The Bucks are coming off a seven-game series with the Nets.
Hawks vs Bucks Position By Position Series Pick and Prediction
The Atlanta Hawks are averaging 106.3 points on 44.4 percent shooting and allowing 105 points on 44.7 percent shooting. Trae Young is averaging 29.1 points and 10.4 assists while John Collins is averaging 13.9 points and 8.3 rebounds. Bogdan Bogdanovic is the third double-digit scorer and Danilo Gallinari is grabbing 4.2 rebounds. The Atlanta Hawks are shooting 34.6 percent from beyond the arc and 80.1 percent from the free throw line. The Atlanta Hawks are allowing 37.7 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 43.1 rebounds per game.
The Milwaukee Bucks are averaging 107.9 points on 45.1 percent shooting and allowing 102.3 points on 43.3 percent shooting. Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 28.8 points and 13.6 rebounds while Khris Middleton is averaging 23.3 points and 4.3 assists. Jrue Holiday is the third double-digit scorer and Brook Lopez is grabbing 7.2 rebounds. The Milwaukee Bucks are shooting 31.2 percent from beyond the arc and 70.7 percent from the free throw line. The Milwaukee Bucks are allowing 34.7 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 51.8 rebounds per game.
The Hawks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games and 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games overall. The Bucks are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Conference Finals games. The under is 4-0 in Hawks last 4 overall. The under is 5-1-1 in Bucks last 7 overall. The Hawks are 12-3 ATS in the last 15 meetings in Milwaukee.
The Hawks continue to get disrespected by oddsmakers and they’ve done enough to deserve a look in the underdog role. However, as I mentioned in my series preview, this kind of feels like where the fairytale comes to an end. The Bucks are the much better team on paper and they have the defensive ability to give the Hawks fits. The Bucks also have to feel like a weight is off their shoulders after beating the Nets. The chalk is a bit steep, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bucks comfortably roll here.
Give me the chalk.
