Bucks vs Hawks NBA Handicapping
The Milwaukee Bucks (13-51) should be graciously telling its fans “Tanks’ a lot” before and after every home game this season. You have to question how much intrinsic desire there is for winning in that organization right now. [ad-4468020]
Milwaukee vs. Atlanta
Date/Time: Thursday, March 13, 2014, 7:30 pm EST
Venue: Philips Arena, Atlanta GA
Line: Atlanta -9.5
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The home team has been limping along lately also, with the Hawks mired in a miserable second-half of the season. Lucky for Atlanta on Thursday night, the Bucks don’t score much and don’t defend the basket well either.
The Bucks are definitely angling for Canadian Andrew Wiggins, fellow Kansas Jayhawk Joel Embiid, Duke’s Jabari Parker or someone of that ilk with their lottery pick in the upcoming draft.
Milwaukee’s beauty spot on their troll of a team is point guard Brandon Knight, a second-year former Kentucky Wildcat who is really growing into his game (17.4 PPG, 5 dimes per). Someone has to score the points even on a bad ballclub.
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Otherwise, Milwaukee is a hodgepodge of uninspiring Eastern Europeans (Zaza Pachulia, Ersan Ilyasova, Miroslav Raduljica) and other cast-offs.
The league’s weaker teams in the latter half of the season present an easier reality of NBA bettors; when teams like the Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers (15-49) get so far behind in the standings that the only silver lining for the franchise and its fans are angling for the best probability of the first overall pick.
Atlanta’s starting PG Jeff Teague is coming off an ear injury, but that shouldn’t be re-aggravated – there won’t be a lot of people watching in Philips Arena.
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Talented Hawks big man Al Horford should have his way with Pachulia et al. Atlanta scores and swings the ball around the court with aplomb, so that at least should make the game exciting whilst the Bucks are being dismantled.
The bright side for the Hawks is that in the despicable Eastern Conference, no sagging team is ever really out of the postseason race. Notorious sharp-shooting SG Kyle Korver could light it up from downtown and get the few people in the stands on their feet.
Especially if the road team is not committing 100% on defense, the Hawks should put a few points on the board on Thursday night.
In the NBA, if you are not going to spend money like the Lakers or the Knicks, the only surefire way to a steady re-emergence of your franchise is to grab a bona fide star in the draft and assemble a team around him.
Management and fans alike can buy into this because the NBA is such a star-driven league and so much can be accomplished – financially and in the win/loss column – with that one piece to the puzzle.
I have a sneaking suspicion – and frankly so should you – that Milwaukee is not going to let a playoff bubble team like Atlanta get in the way of that vision on Thursday night.
Hawks 109, Bucks 90
