The Milwaukee Bucks look to regain home court advantage when they visit the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday. The Bucks dominated the Hawks in Game 2 last Friday, they even led 103-63 at the end of the third quarter and eventually won 125-91.
All three Bucks starts shot well from the field. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 25 points, Jrue Holiday finished with 22 points and Khris Middleton added 15 points. No Hawks player topped Middleton’s 15, as Trae Young led the team with exactly that many points, which is concerning to say the least. John Collins was the only Hawks starter to shoot above 50 percent from the field and the entire team struggled from beyond the arc, going just 9-for-36 (25.0 percent), with Young shooting just 1-for-8 (12.5 percent).
The Bucks have reclaimed the momentum of the series, but remember, the Hawks lost Game 2 in Philadelphia after winning Game 1 in the second round and look what happened next. The Hawks won that series and they won’t let the Bucks win without a fight. Game 3 will take place on Sunday at 8:30 PM ET at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
Dafanews Picks
Team to Win (Regular Time)
• Milwaukee Bucks: 1.57
• Atlanta Hawks: 2.55
Spread
• Milwaukee Bucks: -4.5 (1.94)
• Atlanta Hawks: +4.5 (1.87)
Total
• Over 224.5 (1.90)
• Under 224.5 (1.90)
Key Points to Consider
People forget how battle-tested the Bucks are. This is their fourth straight year trying to get to the NBA Finals. Milwaukee knows how to overcome losses and bounce back. They have seen a lot. They’re tough minded. You can’t overlook what Jrue Holiday means to this team. He will go down as the biggest move of the summer. Holiday became the creator that the Bucks always needed, allowing Giannis to be Giannis and taking pressure off of Middleton too.
The version of the Bucks from Friday is far closer to the team they were all season. They like to use their excellent shooting to open driving lanes for Giannis Antetokounmpo and they’re almost unbeatable when they’re scoring at both the rim and from distance. The Hawks saw that firsthand tonight. And with only Donte DiVincenzo (plus-2.2 Defensive Box Plus/Minus in the playoffs) out, the Bucks are clearly the second-healthiest team left in the field behind the Suns.
Projected Leaders
For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to score 27.3 points with 12.2 rebounds and 7.2 assists, making 9.6 field goals in 18.9 attempts.
For the Hawks, Trae Young is projected to finish with 26.0 points, 9.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds, making 7.7 field goals in 18.2 attempts.
Analyst’s Pick
Bucks -4.5.
Two-star (out of four) AccuScore hot trend pick on the Bucks in this one. Average score in simulations is Milwaukee Bucks 113.2 to Atlanta Hawks 105.8.
