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The Hawks pulled off the upset in Game 1 thanks to Trae Young exploding for 48 points. While that might seem like a difficult feat to duplicate, he’s shown throughout the playoffs that he can thrive on the offensive end regardless of how tough of a defensive team that he’s facing. I don’t think the Hawks take a 2-0 lead in this series before things shift to Atlanta, but with how tough they have played during their playoff run, taking the points Friday is too appealing to pass up.
Milwaukee beat the Nets in part due to big contributions from the likes of PJ Tucker and Brook Lopez, but the way the Hawks play offensively renders those two essentially unusable for the Bucks in this series -- they were a combined minus-16 with 11 points in 55 minutes in Milwaukee's Game 1 upset loss to Atlanta. I'm not sure Mike Budenholzer is a good enough coach to solve the issue. Do I think the Bucks lose a second straight at home Friday? No, but if oddsmakers want to keep gifting all these points on the Hawks, I'll keep taking them. The Bucks are 1-4 ATS in their past five after a loss.