Two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference face off on Sunday night as the third-place Milwaukee Bucks face the Atlanta Hawks in NBA betting action.
The Bucks are led by All-NBA forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and will look to take advantage of a Hawks team plagued by injuries. But don't expect the Hawks to roll over with head coach Nate McMillian continuing to light a fire under his young squad.
Here are our best free Bucks vs. Hawks picks and predictions for Sunday, April 25, with tipoff at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Bucks vs Hawks odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
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NBA sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonAfter opening -6.5 Saturday night at FanDuel, Milwaukee made multiple trips to -6, which is where the point spread stands at 5 p.m. ET today. That said, it's practically all Bucks at this point, with 83 percent of tickets and 86 percent of cash on Milwaukee. The total bounced from 228 to 229 to 226.5, then to 227, with 66 percent of bets/72 percent of money on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this gameBucks at Hawks betting preview
Injuries
Bucks: None.
Hawks: Clint Capela C (Questionable), Trae Young PG (Questionable), De'Andre Hunter F (Out), Cam Reddish F (Out), Kris Dunn PG (Out), Tony Snell SG (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Hawks are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against a team with a winning straight-up record. Find more NBA betting trends for Bucks vs. Hawks.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
The biggest factor in betting tonight's game might be the questionable status of Atlanta's leading scorer Trae Young. But with an MRI revealing a Grade 2 lateral sprain in his ankle it's likely that the star guard will miss a few more games before returning to the floor.
The Hawks won without Young on Friday, dismantling the Heat by a final score of 118-103, but they could find the sledding much tougher tonight against the Bucks.
Milwaukee is 5-2 SU and ATS in its last seven games and is third in the Eastern Conference with a 37-22 record despite missing reigning two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo for eight games over the last month. Giannis and the Bucks are now 100 percent healthy and rolling, coming off a 38-point beatdown of a shorthanded 76ers team yesterday.
They had an impressive 120-109 win in Atlanta just ten days ago, when they were also playing on the tail end of a back-to-back. The Bucks also defeated the Hawks by 14 points in the prior meeting as well, a contest which Young also missed.
Even with multiple key players on the IR, the Hawks have been working very hard under new head coach Nate McMillan. But playing without Young and his 25.3 points and 9.6 assists per game will be felt in a big way against a Bucks squad that ranks eighth in the league in defensive rating. Back the Bucks to win and cover.
PREDICTION: Milwaukee -6 (-110)
Over/Under pick
The total opened at 228.5 for this game, before moving down to 226.5, but there's plenty of reason to like the Over—even without Young. The Bucks lead the NBA in scoring with 119.6 points per game and play at the third-fastest pace in the league.
That's bad news for a Hawks team that ranks just 22nd in the league in defensive efficiency and is still without its best perimeter defender in De'Andre Hunter.
While the Hawks will no doubt take a step back on offense without Young, they should still be competent on that end of the floor. Capable scorers like John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danilo Gallinari, and the recently acquired Lou Williams should prevent Atlanta from going belly up on offense.
The Over is 13-6 in Atlanta's last 19 games as an underdog while the Bucks are 14-6 O/U in their previous 20 contests as a fave. Go with those trends and back the Over.
PREDICTION: Over 226.5 (-110)
Player Prop Pick
Antetokounmpo might be having the quietest MVP-caliber year in history. After his earth-shattering previous two seasons, he is somehow flying under the radar despite averaging 28.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game this year. Giannis is coming off a terrific performance against the Sixers where he scored 24 points and pulled down 14 rebounds—in just 24 minutes.
The Hawks are 19th in the league in points allowed in the paint per game. They might also be without their best interior defender and rebounder in Clint Capela, who is listed as questionable with a back contusion after missing Atlanta's previous game against Miami.
Expect another big game from Giannis and take the Over 38.5 on his points and rebounds total.
PREDICTION: Giannis Antetokounmpo Points and Rebounds Total Over 38.5 (-115)
Bucks vs Hawks betting card
- Milwaukee -6 (-110)
- Over 226.5 (-110)
- Antetokounmpo Points and Rebounds Total Over 38.5 (-115)
Picks made on 4/25/2021 at 12:45 p.m. ET
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