After apparently ‘zigging’ when they should have ‘zagged’ the third-seeded Toronto Raptors will look to bounce back from their stunning 97-83 beatdown in Game 1 of their suddenly intriguing first round Eastern Conference playoff series when they host the sixth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 on Tuesday night. Now, let’s find out if Toronto can avoid another upset while covering the NBA betting spread as even bigger home favorites this time around.
When: Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at 7:00 PM ET Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario TV: NBATV Live Stream: Watch NBA NBA Odds: Toronto -7.5 / Total: 192.5
Toronto is a 7.5-point home favorite and the total sits at 192.5 when this game goes down on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at 7:00 PM ET, live from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario while airing live on NBA TV. Happy hunting.
Led by do-it-all superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo (28 points, 8 rebounds) Milwaukee dominated from start to finish by outscoring the Raptors in three of the game’s four quarters to drop the Raptors to a pitiful 0-9 in the opening game of a first round playoff series.
“It’s big for us,” Antetokounmpo said. “But we have to focus on Game 2. Right now, we know they are going to be more desperate in Game 2. We have to stay together, stay focused.”
Mature Rookie of the Year candidate Malcolm Brogdon added 16 points for the Bucks while veteran center Greg Monroe had a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Tony Snell and Matthew Dellavedova each chipped in 11 points in the win and Khris Middleton added 10 points and nine assists.
“I thought our defense was up to par this evening by just playing hard,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. “We’re a young team and it starts with playing hard and trusting one another, and they did that this evening.”
“I don’t know, I have no clue,” said DeRozan when asked about Toronto’s opening game penchant for losing after Saturday’s defeat. “It’s not something we’re unfamiliar with. … We make it hard on ourselves.”
Toronto got 19 points and 14 rebounds from Serge Ibaka in the loss while Jonas Valanciunas added nine points and nine rebounds. Unfortunately, all-star point guard Kyle Lowry was held to just four points and six assists on 2-of-11 shooting from the field.
“He had some good looks,” head coach Dwayne Casey said. “He just missed some shots. They weren’t doing anything different than we were expecting them to do.”
Milwaukee got double-digit scoring from six players in Game 1 while just two players reached double figures in scoring for Toronto. More importantly, when I look at the Bucks’ roster, I am now more impressed with their core group of role players and reserves than Toronto’s.
Basically, I’d rather go to war with Matthew Dellavedova, Greg Monroe, Spencer Hawes, Mirza Teletovic, Michael Beasley and Jason terry (he’s still playing?) than I would with Toronto’s P.J. Tucker, Cory Joseph, Patrick Patterson and Norman Powell.
I’m also a bit sick and tired of Kyle Lowry’s often perplexing postseason struggles and I think Milwaukee’s Game 1 win is going to give them some very real belief that they are better than their Eastern Conference counterparts in this opening round matchup.
The Bucks are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games against teams from the Atlantic Division and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points while Toronto has gone 1-4 ATS in their last five home games and just 7-20-1 ATS in their last 28 conference quarterfinal games.
Still, despite all of this, I’m going to advise you to pick the Toronto Raptors to get the narrow home win out of sheer desperation, although I certainly don’t see them covering the spread as part of a ‘zig-zag theory’ wager. Bet the Greek Freak and the rest of the Milwaukee Bucks to get the ATS cover while pushing the Raptors for the outright win.
A Closer Look At The Milwaukee Bucks Vs Toronto Raptors NBA Betting Odds
When: Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at 7:00 PM ET Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario TV: NBATV Live Stream: Watch NBA NBA Odds: Toronto -7.5 / Total: 192.5
Toronto is a 7.5-point home favorite and the total sits at 192.5 when this game goes down on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at 7:00 PM ET, live from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario while airing live on NBA TV. Happy hunting.
Why Bet The Milwaukee Bucks Odds at +7.5
The Bucks (43-40 SU, 37-46 ATS) are clearly a good bet to cover the spread in Game 2 as 7.5-point underdogs after getting the outright win and cover as 6.5-point road dogs in Game 1. You see, it’s not just that the Bucks covered the spread by winning outright, it’s how they won outright.Led by do-it-all superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo (28 points, 8 rebounds) Milwaukee dominated from start to finish by outscoring the Raptors in three of the game’s four quarters to drop the Raptors to a pitiful 0-9 in the opening game of a first round playoff series.
“It’s big for us,” Antetokounmpo said. “But we have to focus on Game 2. Right now, we know they are going to be more desperate in Game 2. We have to stay together, stay focused.”
Mature Rookie of the Year candidate Malcolm Brogdon added 16 points for the Bucks while veteran center Greg Monroe had a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Tony Snell and Matthew Dellavedova each chipped in 11 points in the win and Khris Middleton added 10 points and nine assists.
“I thought our defense was up to par this evening by just playing hard,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. “We’re a young team and it starts with playing hard and trusting one another, and they did that this evening.”
Why Bet The Toronto Raptors Odds at -6.5
The Raptors (51-32 SU, 45-37 ATS) are a great bet in Game 2 simply because they’ll be completely desperate after getting man-handled by the young Bucks throughout their Game 1 loss despite getting 27 points and eight rebounds from all-star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan.“I don’t know, I have no clue,” said DeRozan when asked about Toronto’s opening game penchant for losing after Saturday’s defeat. “It’s not something we’re unfamiliar with. … We make it hard on ourselves.”
Toronto got 19 points and 14 rebounds from Serge Ibaka in the loss while Jonas Valanciunas added nine points and nine rebounds. Unfortunately, all-star point guard Kyle Lowry was held to just four points and six assists on 2-of-11 shooting from the field.
“He had some good looks,” head coach Dwayne Casey said. “He just missed some shots. They weren’t doing anything different than we were expecting them to do.”
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction
I know the Toronto Raptors are going to be completely desperate in Game 2, but after seeing the way they were dominated in Game 1, I’ve got a tough time believe they are going to dispatch Milwaukee by eight points on Tuesday night – if at all.Milwaukee got double-digit scoring from six players in Game 1 while just two players reached double figures in scoring for Toronto. More importantly, when I look at the Bucks’ roster, I am now more impressed with their core group of role players and reserves than Toronto’s.
Basically, I’d rather go to war with Matthew Dellavedova, Greg Monroe, Spencer Hawes, Mirza Teletovic, Michael Beasley and Jason terry (he’s still playing?) than I would with Toronto’s P.J. Tucker, Cory Joseph, Patrick Patterson and Norman Powell.
I’m also a bit sick and tired of Kyle Lowry’s often perplexing postseason struggles and I think Milwaukee’s Game 1 win is going to give them some very real belief that they are better than their Eastern Conference counterparts in this opening round matchup.
The Bucks are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games against teams from the Atlantic Division and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points while Toronto has gone 1-4 ATS in their last five home games and just 7-20-1 ATS in their last 28 conference quarterfinal games.
Still, despite all of this, I’m going to advise you to pick the Toronto Raptors to get the narrow home win out of sheer desperation, although I certainly don’t see them covering the spread as part of a ‘zig-zag theory’ wager. Bet the Greek Freak and the rest of the Milwaukee Bucks to get the ATS cover while pushing the Raptors for the outright win.
