Hawks-Bucks Game 5 best bets: Atlanta's defense heating up
Game 5 is up for grabs between the Hawks and Bucks, who are both dealing with injuries to star players.
Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo sustained a knee injury during Tuesday's Game 4 loss - two days after Atlanta's Trae Young exited with a bruised bone in his foot.
Young's questionable for Thursday, while Antetokounmpo's out.
Let's see how the injuries affect Game 5 from a betting perspective.
Hawks @ Bucks (-2.5, 215)
The Hawks got the job done at home without their best player Tuesday. Can the Bucks do the same to take a 3-2 series lead?
Milwaukee, which is just 40-47 (46%) against the spread overall this season, hasn't fared well without the two-time MVP. The Bucks are a dreadful 61-75-1 ATS (44.9%) since 2013 when Antetokounmpo doesn't play and covered just four of 11 contests without him this season.
The line opened Bucks -4.5, but that number's dropped to -2.5. The total, meanwhile, has dipped from 220.5 to just 215.
Antetokounmpo's injury could provide a big boost for a Hawks defense that's already playing well. Outside of the 125 points allowed in Game 2, Atlanta held each of its last seven opponents under the team total, giving up just 102.9 points per contest over that stretch.
Overall, the Hawks have gone under the total in 55.7% of their contests in 2020-21, which is the fourth-best mark in basketball.
Milwaukee losing a player who's averaged 28.2 points and 5.2 assists per game this postseason can only help the under. The Bucks have hit five straight following a loss against the spread and 16 of the last 21 unders after an outright defeat.
The offenses are still playing relatively slowly - they've averaged fewer than 98 possessions per game over the last three - and couldn't even crack 200 points in Game 4.
The Bucks should have a better answer for the Lou Williams-led offense this time around, but they will struggle to score without Antetokounmpo.
Pick: Under 215
Player props
John Collins under 25.5 points + rebounds + assists
Collins has been quiet of late. After exploding for 23 points and 15 boards in the series opener, he's been held to 22 or fewer combined points, rebounds, and assists in three straight.
The forward posted a 22.2% usage rate this past regular season. However, he's down to just 17.2% across the last three and off a game in which he recorded just a 12.7% clip - the lowest among Hawks starters.
Brook Lopez over 13.5 points
Lopez's point total was a dud Tuesday, but he's our pick to click again with Antetokounmpo out of action.
Although the veteran center's been limited to 10 points or fewer in three of four this series, he might find a way to contribute on the scoresheet: In nine games without Antetokounmpo this season, Lopez averaged 15.2 points per contest on more than 11 shots from the floor.
Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. Find him on Twitter @AjKolodziej.