Damian Lillard's Milwaukee Bucks (27-22) will travel to State Farm Arena to play the Atlanta Hawks (23-28) on Friday's NBA schedule. At 7:30 PM ET, the first tip will be given.
When the Bucks and Hawks face up, the Bucks are a 5.5-point favorite. The overall number of points in the matchup is 237.5.
Jonas Valanciunas, who was traded to the Sacramento Kings, averaged 8.2 rebounds per game. Their other star, Kyle Kuzma, had only appeared in 32 of the 49 games before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for AJ Johnson and Kris Middleton. With only 44 rebounds per game (good for 18th nationally), the Wizards have performed below average when it comes to ball rebounding.
Although they are good at distributing the ball, averaging 25 assists per game (ranked 23rd overall), the Washington Wizards are currently the worst defensive team in the NBA, giving up 122.3 points per game, and they rank 27th in terms of offensive performance, scoring only 107.5 points per game.
Jonas Valanciunas, who was traded to the Sacramento Kings, averaged 8.2 rebounds per game. Their other star, Kyle Kuzma, had only appeared in 32 of the 49 games before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for AJ Johnson and Kris Middleton. With only 44 rebounds per game (good for 18th nationally), the Wizards have performed below average when it comes to ball rebounding. Although they are good at distributing the ball, averaging 25 assists per game (ranked 23rd overall), the Washington Wizards are currently the worst defensive team in the NBA, giving up 122.3 points per game, and they rank 27th in terms of offensive performance, scoring only 107.5 points per game.
By acquiring Terance Mann and Bones Hyland from the Clippers in a trade, the Hawks aim to strengthen their perimeter defense, particularly to counter dynamic point guards like Damian Lillard. Defense has been a persistent issue for the team in recent years, and the hope is that these new additions will energize their efforts on the perimeter. That said, the Hawks are a high-scoring team and could easily seize control of this game if the Bucks experience one of their occasional scoring slumps.
In their first matchup this season, the Hawks secured a win against the Bucks, with Jalen Johnson, now sidelined due to injury, leading the scoring charge. Since then, the Bucks have been the stronger team, and Giannis Antetokounmpo has consistently dominated against the Hawks' defense. As a result, Atlanta will likely struggle once again to contain his scoring and rebounding prowess.
The spotlight in this game will be on Trae Young to deliver a strong performance, as well as on rookie Zaccharie Risacher to step up from his wing position. While Risacher has been impactful on the boards this season, the Hawks are still waiting for him to make a significant leap in his scoring output.
For our final prediction, we’re leaning toward the Milwaukee Bucks to secure a road victory. Although their 10-15 record against the spread on the road this season isn’t stellar, we believe their favorable matchups will give them the edge to come out on top in this contest.
