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Milwaukee Bucks (36-37) vs. Atlanta Hawks (55-18)
Time, TV: Saturday, March 30, 2015 – 7:30 PM ET on NBA League Pass
Projected Starting Lineups:
Milwaukee Bucks: PG: Michael Carter-Williams, SG: Khris Middleton, SF: Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF: Ersan Ilyasova, C: Zaza Pachulia
Atlanta Hawks: PG: Jeff Teague, SG: Kyle Korver, SF: DeMarre Carroll, PF: Paul Millsap, C: Al Horford
The newly cemented Eastern Conference No. 1 seed Atlanta Hawks will look to add to their impressive season when they play host to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday evening.
The Hawks have had one of their best years in franchise history under head coach Mike Budenholzer, who has done a remarkable job implementing a San Antonio Spurs-esque motion offense that he has worked to perfection. Role players like Kyle Korver and DeMarre Carroll have flourished, and given the Hawks depth on their roster. This, among other things, is what makes them the East’s best team right now.
The Bucks have been a little shaky lately, but many remain impressed with the season they have had so far. They have a great collection of young talent that should form a very, very good team one day, if developed correctly. Despite the absence of rookie stud Jabari Parker from their team for most of the season due to an injury, the Bucks continue to stay in the mix for a playoff seed out East.
The key matchup for this game will be Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Carroll. Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo is a unique specimen and an athletic beast of a player who’s hard to keep up with. On the other side, Carroll is a defensive specialist who is also smart when it comes to picking what shots to take. He will most likely force Antetokounmpo to shoot a lot of outside jumpers, which he has yet to prove consistently that he can make.
I see the Hawks winning this game. Unless they decide to rest their starters again, I do not see the Bucks being much of a problem. The Hawks have a ton of depth and the Bucks rely a lot on their starters to produce. Expect an easy win for Atlanta.
Prediction: Hawks 111, Bucks 95
Dan Schultz is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @dschultz89. “Like” him on Facebook and add him on Google.
