Atlanta at Milwaukee

Time: 6 PM CT (NBA LP)

Spread: MIL -10.5

Total: 233.5

Odds c/o 5dimes

MIL TEAM NOTES:

The Milwaukee Bucks have won seven of its last 10 to improve to 59-21 on the season. It holds a 2.5 game lead over Toronto for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Bucks have a top-2 or 3 to rival any team in the East. Giannis Antetokounmpo is turning in an MVP-caliber season with his 26.6 points, 12.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.39 steals and 1.45 blocks per game. His PER leads the Bucks at 29.5. Khris Middleton is quietly having another superb season as the No. 2 scorer. Middleton averages 17.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.  Eric Bledsoe has fit in well since becoming a Buck.

He joins Middleton in the backcourt as the No. 3 scorer, good for 15.8 points per game. 2017 Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon is steady and consistent. He has averaged 15.7 points and 1.00 blocks/steals per game and is one of the team’s best defenders. The Bucks are the league’s top rebounding team at 49.0 boards per game, and it has the No. 7 defense in the league in allowing 107.4 per game. The Bucks also possess the No. 2 offense, averaging 117.4 points per game. Its positive 10-point differential is best in the East

ATL

The Atlanta Hawks are playing the role of late-season spoilers as a team out of the playoff race who has now won five of its last seven games. Trae Young is making a late push for the Rookie of the Year Award, and second-year forward John Collins is continuing to blossom after making the First team all-rookie team a season ago.

Collins averages 19.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game and has some pogo sticks for legs, while Young has drawn comparisons to none less than Stephen Curry. Young is averaging 19 points and eight assists, but he has really been on fire the last two months. Over his last 10 games, Young has averaged 24.1 points and 9.6 assists per game while shooting 46 percent from the floor over that stretch. In his three games against the Magic this season, Young has averaged 18 points and six assists, though he has shot just 16 percent from three against Orlando. Atlanta has a promising future with its top-end talents in Young and Collins, but it must continue to round out its roster with a great core already intact.

ATS TRENDS (C/o Covers):