Milwaukee Bucks vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction: The Hawks can notch a win

The NBA Regular Season has brought to us many incredible battles already and there have been the rise of some squads that have shocked the fans. The Jazz and the Trail Blazers have been making headlines but this early on in the season, there is a looming sense that the success can be short-lived. Such sense doesn’t surround the Milwaukee Bucks though, which will take on the Atlanta Hawks.

Playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday, the Bucks lost their last game 93:111 against the San Antonio Spurs despite a 21 points performance by Jevon Carter. Despite the loss, the Bucks have an amazing record with 10 wins and just two losses. Whenever Giannis has played, they have posted eight wins and one loss. The incredible start for the Bucks has come in absence of their second-best scorer Khris Middleton. Antetokounmpo has continued to lead the team in points and rebounds.

They have unsurprisingly the second-best defensive rating in the league and with a defensive leader like Giannis that is to be expected. They have both strong individual and help defenders with a lot of experience. Jrue Holiday is an elite perimeter defender, Brook Lopez an incredible help defender while Bobby Portis can get big on boards. Jevon Carter has given quality minutes too on the defensive end but the team will need Khris Middleton at some point. The Bucks have also had an “easy” schedule but it doesn’t take away their intense play on the defensive end.

The Hawks come into this game after losing 109:121 to the Philadelphia 76ers despite a 27 points performance by Trae Young. Despite the loss, they have had a respectable start with eight wins and five losses. While they have looked indecisive against quality teams, the Hawks have showcased that they are better than last season and with the arrival of DeJounte Murray are no more reliant on just Trae Young. The Hawks’ balance looks promising but there are some edges to fine-tune.

One big issue has been their long-distance shooting as the team has been ranked in the bottom five, shooting around 33%. Murray is not a big-time outside shooter while Trae has been inefficient from there too. But thanks to the arrival of Murray, their perimeter defense has been solid and they have the opponents to around the same mark which they have shot. The Hawks are not a viable defensive unit and that is an area that has a lot of potential to improve considering the team’s firepower.

• Bucks: OUT: Joe Ingles, Khris Middleton, AJ Green, Jrue Holiday, Pat Connaughton. PROBABLE: MarJon Beauchamp, Grayson Allen, Giannis Antetokounmpo;
• Hawks: OUT: Bogdan Bogdanovic.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Giannis Antetokounmpo(30+ Points), Trae Young(27-34 Points), DeJounte Murray(25-31 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Giannis Antetokounmpo(12+ Rebounds), Bobby Portis(9+ Rebounds), John Collins(9+ Rebounds), Clint Capela(9+ Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Trae Young(7+ Assists), DeJounte Murray(6+ Assists), Giannis Antetokoumpo(5+ Assists).

Not having Holiday hurts the Bucks’ chances against the stacked backcourt of the Hawks. The Hawks have played some great perimeter defense and the absence of Jrue curtails that part of the game. However, if Giannis plays which he probably will, the Bucks will enter with sky-high confidence and look to seal the deal in a quick manner. To be honest, the Bucks look outmatched at multiple positions.

But they have had their issues shooting the ball and the Bucks defense will still pose a significant challenge without the elite defense of Holiday. Carter can defend well and so can Grayson Allen, so the long-range battle will be key here. I see the Bucks turning on the screws late but the Hawks holding on to win, overcoming a gigantic effort from Giannis Antetokounmpo. I see the total points range as 225-235.