Atlanta Hawks at Milwaukee Bucks
The 4th seeded Hawks outlasted the 76ers in an epic Game 7 series and now sit just one series victory away from their first NBA finals appearance since 1961 - 50 years ago. As usual, their key will be Trae Young and he was simply brilliant against the 76ers, especially with a strained shoulder that he's managing when he gets a bench rest. Overall, he averaged 29 points per game and 10.9 assists per game in the 76ers series victory. So a key matchup in this series will be Jrue Holiday's defence against him.
Similarly to the Hawks, the Bucks pulled off a 7 game series upset over the Nets with a huge Game 7 victory in Brooklyn. The Bucks haven't reached the NBA finals since 1974 so they'll be on a mission throughout this series. Giannis had a great series against the Nets, averaging 31.9 points per game and 12.9 rebounds. The Hawks defence struggled with an injured Embiid so Giannis should be able to take advantage against Capela as well. Middleton also supported Giannis throughout the Nets series and will be important if Giannis struggles. As mentioned, Holiday's defence will be the key against quelling the influence of Trae Young.
Both teams come off a grinding Game 7 series so we don't expect a high scoring affair in Game 1. The Hawks have a 5-1 record against the Under and it's also 6-1 on the road. Meanwhile, the Bucks are 6-1 against the Under on their home court.
Stadium Record
The Bucks have won all of their last 5 home games. Atlanta has lost their last 5 games in Milwaukee.
Head to Head Record
Milwaukee has the wood over the Hawks with 8 wins in the last 10 meetings.
Best Bet
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Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Clippers
The Suns pulled off a miracle in Game 2 as DeAndre Ayton put back a last second alley-oop and that now gives the Suns a 2-0 series lead. Devin Booker was held in check during Game 2 but Chris Payne stood up in the absence of Chris Paul. He finished with 29 points and 9 assists in a superb playoff performance. Ayton also scored 24 points and went 12-15 from the field as the Clippers defence struggled to contain his influence.
Meanwhile, the Clippers will obviously be disappointed with their Game 2 defeat but get a good chance to rebound with the next 2 games at home. Paul George had a slow start to Game 2 but finished strongly with 26 points and Reggie Jackson continued his solid playoff form with 19 points. Zubac also got the start at centre and collected 11 rebounds / 14 points.
Los Angeles have been generally stronger at home in this year's playoffs and we can see them pulling off an upset on their home court. They were unlucky in Game 2 and that should spur them to victory in Game 3 with a 2-1 series advantage at stake.
Head to Head Record
The Suns have won the first 2 games of this series.
Best Bet
