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The Milwaukee Bucks and the Toronto Raptors take the hard court again on Tuesday night for Game 4 of the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.
The Bucks lost to the Raptors 112-118 in double overtime the last time out as Toronto cut the series deficit down to 1-2 with the potential equalizer to be played in their home floor.
Rare Struggle
The Bucks have blasted their way to the Eastern Conference Finals with an explosive offense but in Game 3, we saw them in a rare struggle. Giannis Antetokounmpo shot just 5-16 from the floor and finished with 12 points and 23 rebounds before fouling out in the first overtime period. Khris Middleton also shot just 3-16 and finished with a mere 9 points.
Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez each made five field goals but no other starter from Milwaukee made more than three field goal attempts as the Bucks’ starters shot 16-69 from the floor in Game 3. The Bucks committed six turnovers in the first quarter which Toronto converted to 10 points. Milwaukee finished the game with 20 turnovers, leading to 21 Raptors’ points.
George Hill led Milwaukee with 24 points while the returning Malcolm Brogdon scored 20 points for the Bucks. Milwaukee is 10-2 SU in the playoffs this season and Game 3 was their first road loss of the postseason. Despite the loss, Bucks’ coach Mike Budenholzer said that it was a good one because despite playing that bad, they still nearly had a chance to win the game.
Bucks
-140
Raptors
+120
Odds from betonline.ag as of 5/21/19
Barely Winning
The Raptors were glad to be home for Game 3 after losing the first two games of the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals in Milwaukee. Toronto was in control of Game 3 but they just couldn’t put the Bucks away. Instead of trying to win the all-important Game 3 very convincingly, the Raptors barely won and needed two extra periods to finally get on board in the series.
Pascal Siakam has 25 points and 11 rebounds but he missed a pair of free throws with 7.4 seconds left which could have iced the ball game. Instead, the Bucks fought back and sent the game to overtime. The Raptors were also up 103-99 with 1:26 left in the first overtime but George Hill tied the game with two foul shots with 14 seconds left and Kawhi Leonard missed a potential game winner as time expired to send the game to a second overtime.
Leonard finished the game with a game-high 36 points including eight in the second overtime period. He made 11-25 shots from the floor and shot 12-13 from the foul line but he played a playoff career-high 52 minutes. Leonard’s previous playoff career-high was 46 minutes set in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals.
Who Wins?
The Bucks are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games played. Milwaukee is 4-1 SU in their last five games played on the road. The Raptors are 5-5 SU in their last 10 games played. Toronto is 4-1 SU in their last five game played at home. Head to head, the Bucks are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games against the Raptors. However, Toronto is 6-4 SU in their last 10 home games against Milwaukee.
The Bucks are 6-1 SU in their last seven games against the Eastern Conference and 6-1 in their last seven games against the Atlantic Division. On the other hand, the Raptors are 4-14 SU in their last 18 games played in May.
Give credit to the Raptors for gutting out a win in Game 3. But that wasn’t the kind of win we were expecting from a team who was down 0-2 and trying to get back in the series. Mentally, I think the Bucks won that game as they were able to extend the game to two extra periods despite horrible shooting from their starters. That’s why they are still the NBA betting favorites in this game. I don’t expect the explosive Bucks to struggle too long, not with a chance to go to the Finals already in the horizon. I’m picking the Milwaukee Bucks to beat the Toronto Raptors in Game 4 of the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals.
Other Bets To Make
Milwaukee is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games played. The Bucks are 4-1 ATS in their last five games played on the road. Toronto is 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games played. The Raptors are 3-2 ATS in their last five games played at home. Head to head, the Bucks are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 meetings against the Raptors. Milwaukee is also 6-4 ATS in their last 10 road games against Toronto.
Bucks
-2.5 (-110)
Raptors
+2.5 (-110)
Odds from betonline.ag as of 5/21/19
The Bucks are 8-0 ATS in their last 8 Tuesday games, 6-1 ATS in their last seven games against an opponent with a winning straight up record and 6-1 ATS in their last seven games against Atlantic Division opponents. On the other hand, the Raptors are 1-4 ATS in their last five games against an opponent with a winning straight up record, 1-4 ATS in their last five games against Eastern Conference teams and 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall. The Raptors won game 3 but barely and considering how poorly the Bucks shot, they lost by only six points and after two overtime periods. Milwaukee has played too good this postseason for me not to go with them, especially at just -2.5. I like the Bucks to bounce back and continue to roll. Prediction: Bucks -2.5
The over is 6-4 in Milwaukee’s last 10 games played. The total has gone over in four out of the last five road games played by the Bucks. The under is 6-4 in the Raptors’ last 10 games played. Toronto has seen the total go under in 3 out of their last five games played. Head to head, the over is 7-3 in their last 10 meetings and the over is 6-4 in their last 10 meetings in Toronto.
Bucks
O 216 -110
Raptors
U 216 -110
Odds from betonline.ag as of 5/21/19
The Bucks are averaging 115.6 points per game in their last 10 games played while the Raptors are scoring 103.2 points per game in their last 10 games played. Two out of the first three games of this series has breached the 216 total and the total has gone over in six out of the Raptors’ last eight games against Central Division opponents.These are two of the league’s most dynamic and balanced scoring teams. The Bucks seem content to outscoring the Raptors instead of stopping them. I think this will be another high scoring game. Prediction: Over 216
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