Milwaukee Bucks at Atlanta Hawks Game 4 Betting Preview

It’s Game 4 of the 2021 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, and the Milwaukee Bucks are set to head to Georgia to face the Atlanta Hawks. The Bucks have already had success when playing in Atlanta in game two of the series and can increase their lead to 3-1 with a win here. One of the more impressive factors from game three was the dominance of SF Khris Middleton.

The Atlanta Hawks, although at home, could be coming in with a distinct disadvantage. PG Trae Young is listed as “questionable” after what looked to be an ankle injury during the closing seconds of the third quarter. If Young is unable to suit up for game four, the Hawks could be in a lot of trouble against the Bucks.

Khris Middleton stole the show on Sunday, Bucks will need a similar performance

Khris Middleton put 38 points on the board on Sunday, shot 15 for 26 from the field, and added 11 rebounds. From the three-point line, Middleton was 6 for 12 and led the team in points and rebounds on Sunday night. The sudden dominance of a player like Middleton was a pleasant relief for a team that heavily relies on superstar PF Giannis Antetokounmpo.

If the Bucks want to win on Tuesday and go on to win the entire series, they’ll need more performances like this from the rest of their team. Aside from Middleton and Antetokounmpo, the rest of the starting five was lackluster on Sunday. Had it not been for Middleton’s surge in the second half, the Bucks would’ve been in bad shape.
Poor performances from the remaining starters will be the thorn in Milwaukee’s side.

Middleton and Antetokounmpo aside, the Bucks starters scored a total of 19 points, a sad and embarrassing outing from the rest of the group. Starting PG Jrue Holiday played for 42 minutes and shot 2 for 11 and was 0 for 3 from beyond the arc.

PF PJ Tucker, another starter that played for over thirty minutes, was 1 for three from the field. Another showing like that from the starters, and the Bucks could find themselves in a tied series.

Without PG Trae Young, Hawks will need supporting cast to step up

If Trae Young is unable to play on Tuesday, the Atlanta Hawks will need the remaining players to play above the rim. With players like PG Lou Williams coming off the bench, along with PF Danilo Gallinari, the Hawks are a team you can place some faith in. Also, don’t count Young out too quickly. This could be a clever ploy to force the Bucks to gameplan for Atlanta without Young at the helm, shocking them just before the game starts.

Bucks vs. Hawks, who covers the spread on Tuesday? Bucks -7

It might seem like a risky bet considering the Hawks are at home, but if Trae Young does miss Tuesday’s game, the Bucks could run away with this one. We’ve already seen the Bucks dismantle the Hawks at home with Trae Young in the lineup, winning the game 125-91.

Look for the Bucks to have a strong performance here with a better output from the supporting cast, so we’re calling Milwaukee Bucks -7.