On Saturday, the 46-27 Milwaukee Bucks, the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed, venture to The Peach State to face off against the 34-39 Atlanta Hawks, the East’s No. 10 seed. The two teams have split the two games they’ve played in their season series so far, 1-1. Both are angling to optimize their postseason seeds this year.
Winners of four straight contests, the Hawks are just 0.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls for bragging rights to the conference’s ninth seed. The Bucks, losers of two straight contests, are a scant 1.5 games ahead of the third-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.
Will both teams be able to preserve those streaks? Time will tell.
Let’s take an inventory of how to tune into the action, betting odds for the bout, and what we think is likeliest to happen.
How To Watch
The game tips off at 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET, and is watchable on NBA TV and League Pass nationally. Locally, check out the bout on Bally Sports Southeast in Atlanta and Bally Sports Wisconsin.
Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives around Dejounte Murray #5 of the Atlanta Hawks during the first half of a game at Fiserv Forum on November 14, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The two… Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives around Dejounte Murray #5 of the Atlanta Hawks during the first half of a game at Fiserv Forum on November 14, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The two stars will square off again tonight.
Stacy Revere/Getty Images
Betting Odds
Via sportsbook aggregator The Action Network, the Bucks are -5 point favorites to win tonight on the road. That honestly seems a bit optimistic, given Milwaukee’s major absences and its middling record since head coach Doc Rivers took over (the club is 14-13 in those games). More on that in a second.
Injury Report
According to a recent league injury report, Bucks All-Star point guard Damian Lillard has been ruled out due to personal reasons, while two-way players Chris Livingston and Jaylin Galloway are both playing with the club’s G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd. All-NBA power forward Giannis Antetokonmpo and his fellow multi-time All-Star, 3-and-D swingman Khris Middleton, reserve point guard Patrick Beverley, and MarJon Beauchamp are also all probable to play.
The Hawks meanwhile, will be missing a whopping seven young players over the course of at least three hours. however, seemed determined to never give up on vying for fans’ attention.
Predictions
The Bucks may be short-staffed, and the Hawks may be perpetually even more short-staffed. But something’s got to give.
Look for the Bucks to eventually lose a close contest against the Hawks by single digits thanks to a big Antetokounmpo night. Atlanta is riding high after beating the top-seeded Boston Celtics twice in the last week, but it has no real answer for containing The Greek Freak (the role falls to Jalen Johnson or Pascal Siakam most of the time). Can it keep up the good vibes this weekend?
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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