Atlanta Hawks vs Milwaukee Bucks 6/23/21: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds

Atlanta Hawks vs Milwaukee Bucks Preview

The Eastern Conference Finals are set and no one expected the Hawks to make it this far. Many people thought that they would lose to the Knicks in the first round and everyone thought they would lose to the 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. But the Hawks are still here and they are led by Trae Young who has iced this team into their first Eastern Conference Finals since the AL Horford and Paul Millsap Atlanta team in 2015. 

The Bucks are almost a completely different team from the Hawks. The Bucks have reached their first Eastern Conference Finals too, however, this has been many years in the making now. To get to this point, the Bucks took down the Heat in an easy sweep and then won out in a 7 game slugfest against the Brooklyn Nets. The Bucks have not looked as dominant in the playoffs compared to their regular season counterparts, but this team is still more than talented enough to win the Eastern Conference this year. 

For odds movement and full matchup history, visit the Atlanta Hawks vs Milwaukee Bucks Matchup Page.

TV Schedule

Date: 6/23/21
Time: 8:30 PM ET
Arena: Fiserv Forum- Milwaukee, WI
Channel: TNT

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Bucks Starting 5

PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Khris Middleton
SF: P.J. Tucker
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Brook Lopez

Milwaukee Bucks Analysis: 

If there is any year that Giannis Antetokounmpo will win a ring with Milwaukee, it has to be this year. All of the other superteams like Lebron, Anthony Davis, and the Lakers or Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and the Nets have been eliminated. So the door is wide open for the Bucks to claim the title. This Bucks team has reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first team since Giannis has established himself as a superstar in the NBA and every part of their team is playing their best at the right time. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been playing at an MVP level as he is averaging 28.1 points and 11 rebounds a game in the playoffs while Khris Middleton has been a great Robin to Giannis’ Batman as he is averaging 20.4 points, 6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game in the playoffs. Jrue Holiday and P.J. Tucker have also been crucial to this Bucks’ playoff run as they provide toughness, defense, and clutch shooting late in games to help the Bucks steal some games they maybe shouldn’t have won. The Bucks have a great chance to win the title this year, but they will need all hands on deck to handle this aggressive Hawks offense. 

Hawks Starting 5

PG: Trae Young
SG: Bogdan Bogdanovic
SF: Kevin Huerter
PF: John Collins
C: Clint Capela

Atlanta Hawks Analysis: 

The Hawks made everyone’s head inside NBA locker rooms swivel this regular and postseason. The Hawks were 14-20 before promoting Nate McMillian and everything changed after that. The Hawks finished the season 41-31 in the regular season and have upset both the Knicks and 76ers in the playoffs. The Hawks are a young spunky bunch with many on the team playing in their first playoffs as a pro. They are led by the ice-cold Trae Young who has averaged 29.1 points and 10.4 assists in 12 playoff games. They also have sharp shooting from the outside, from the hero of game 7 in the 76ers series, Kevin Huerter, to Danillo Gallinari. These two have provided a much-needed boost as both have shot closer to 40% from 3 this postseason. Clint Capella and John Collins have held the fort down for the Hawks on the inside as both are averaging over 8 rebounds a game. The Hawks might not be as good on defense as the Bucks, but they have more than enough scoring threats to make up for that. 

Hawks vs Bucks DFS Angle

There is not as much value in this series as one might expect. Giannis is obviously worth every cent you will pay for him as there is no one on the Hawks roster that can guard him. Other than that there really isn’t that much more there. Trae Young could be limited by a top 3 perimeter defender in Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton has only done well at home in the playoffs. At home, Middleton is great as he averages 27.2 points per game, but on the road, he is a completely different player as he averages closer to 20 points per game. Kevin Huerter, Danillo Gallinari, Lou Williams, Brook Lopez, and Pat Connaughton all offer value because of their high offensive efficiency, but these guys are shooters so don’t be surprised if some games they are hot and some games they are cold. Guys like Capela and John Collins will be limited in this series because of the excellent interior defense Milwaukee plays. I would stay away from most players in this series, but if you have no other options look to add Giannis, Trae Young, Brook Lopez, and Kevin Huerter.

Hawks vs Bucks Betting Odds

Two things that stand out to me about Game 1 are the spread and the over/under total. No duh, this is the gambling section, of course, the spread and over/under are important. Ok smart guy, what you don’t realize is that Milwaukee is way better at home than on the road. The Bucks are 49-23 as a home favorite and cover 94.3% of the time. The Hawks are also not as great on the road or as an underdog as they are 19-22 as an underdog and cover the spread 78.6% of the time. In the two meetings these two teams had this season, Milwaukee killed them as they won by 11.5 points on average. The Bucks won the first game 116-104 in Milwaukee with a Bucks 10.5 point spread favorite. The Bucks then won the second game 3 months later 120-104 in Atlanta with the Hawks being favored by 6.5 points. The Bucks dominated the glass in these games as they grabbed nabbed 14 and 16 offensive rebounds in those 2 games compared to Hawks getting 5 and 8 offensive rebounds in those same games. 

The story of this series will be the dominant paint play of the Bucks vs. the fantastic outside shooting of the Hawks. If you believe the Bucks will destroy the Hawks on the glass and in the paint, I would look to player props for overs on points and rebounds for Milwaukee’s big guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez. If you think that the Hawks will be lights out from 3, then I would look to the over for the over/under points totals as well as prop bets for 3-point field goals made for players like Trae Young, Kevin Huerter, and Danillo Gallinari. 

As for my pick, I think that the over will hit, and the Bucks will win. Both of these teams are great offensively as the Bucks averaged the most points per game in the regular season with 120.3 and the Hawks have found their stride in the playoffs. Also, the Bucks are dominant at home with the crowd cheering for them as they are 5-0 at home in these playoffs. I see them continuing their home winning streak in a game where you might also want to take the Bucks spread as well.