Milwaukee Bucks vs Atlanta Hawks Preview (1/11/23): Prediction, Starting Lineups, Odds

Milwaukee will look to build on its incredible 17-point comeback victory against the New York Knicks when it travels down south to battle with the Atlanta Hawks. Our in-depth analysis and game predictions are below, as well as the current betting odds, updated injury reports, and projected starting lineups for both teams.

Milwaukee Bucks Vs. Atlanta Hawks Betting Odds

The Atlanta Hawks are slight one-point home dogs against the Milwaukee Bucks, a team that can’t seem to stay healthy. Milwaukee still will be without Khris Middleton, who has merely played seven games during the 2022-23 season. Additionally, the Bucks will miss Serge Ibaka due to personal reasons. For Atlanta, Clint Capela is the only Hawks’ player that has been ruled out for this Eastern Conference matchup.

Milwaukee Bucks Vs. Atlanta Hawks Prediction

Think about the top five teams in the Eastern Conference: Boston, Brooklyn, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Cleveland. What do these teams (except for Milwaukee) have in common? All the teams mentioned above have two superstars on their team and have been playing with them for most of the season. The Bucks, on the other hand, have been without Khris Middleton for all but seven games during the first half of the 2022-23 regular season.

Luckily, Giannis Antetokounmpo has answered the bell time and time again for Milwaukee; he has averaged a blistering 31.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game on 52.7% shooting from the field. It is difficult to lose when Giannis is putting up these stats. It does seem that mid-season fatigue might be setting in, though, as Giannis has merely combined for 31 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists in a total of 58 minutes over his past two games. With the Bucks only getting one day of rest between Monday night’s game and this matchup with Atlanta, this will be something to monitor.

Meanwhile, Atlanta seems to be in an organizational disarray; John Collins is back on the trading block, and the Hawks are ninth in the Eastern Conference, flirting with falling out of the play-in spots altogether. Atlanta has dropped five of its past seven games, and three-point shooting (27th in 3P%) is still an Achilles heel.

Despite winning two of its three matchups with Milwaukee in the 2022-23 season, this matchup doesn’t look great for Atlanta. Milwaukee ranks fifth in opponent 3P%, while Atlanta ranks 27th in 3P%. Now, the Hawks will likely be without Clint Capela again, forcing them to dig deeper into their bench than they would like, especially with their lack of frontcourt depth. Milwaukee is the second-best rebounding team in the NBA, while Atlanta is one of the worst.

Monday night’s key comeback win from a 17-point deficit to beat the red-hot New York Knicks on the road should be enough to get the Milwaukee Bucks moving back in the dominant direction they were at the beginning of the season. Milwaukee’s confidence should be sky-high, and its three-point shooting has finally seemed to resemble what it was in prior seasons. The Bucks against the spread will be my play, even though Milwaukee has struggled covering on the road this season.

Betting Trends

• Milwaukee is 7-10-2 ATS on the road in 2022-23
• Atlanta is 8-11 ATS at home in 2022-23
• The combined over record of these two teams is 44-36 in 2022-23

Key Matchups

An evolutionary offensive creator takes on a suffocating defender? That’s right; it is another installment of our key matchup between Trae Young and Jrue Holiday. Check out which player has the advantage in this one!

Trae Young vs. Jrue Holiday

For whatever reason, Milwaukee has struggled against the Atlanta Hawks this season, going 1-2 in three games. Young has played exceptionally well against Milwaukee this season, posting averages of 31.5 points, seven assists, and 4.5 rebounds in two games during the 2022-23 season. Interestingly enough, of the three games these teams have played, Holiday and Young have only taken the floor simultaneously in one game. In that game, Young went for a 42/6/5 line in 36 minutes. Holiday may have gotten scorched on the defensive end for part of the game, but he posted a solid 34 points, 12 assists, and four steals.

The bottom line: in the four games that these two have seen each other, Young has eclipsed 40 points twice. Jrue Holiday’s stifling defense has not been enough. Advantage: Trae Young.

Milwaukee Bucks Starting Lineup

PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Pat Connaughton
SF: Grayson Allen
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Brook Lopez

Atlanta Hawks Starting Lineups

PG: Trae Young
SG: Dejounte Murray
SF: De’Andre Hunter
PF: John Collins
C: Onyeka Okongwu

Key Injuries

Milwaukee Bucks Injuries: Serge Ibaka (Out), Khris Middleton (Out)

Atlanta Hawks Injuries: Clint Capela (Out)