Basketball Betting

Hawks, Bucks tangle at the Bradley Center

Basketball Betting Lines

03/22/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In what could be a possible preview of a first-round playoff matchup, the Milwaukee Bucks seek to continue their surge over the season's second half when the red-hot club hosts the Atlanta Hawks this evening at the Bradley Center.

Milwaukee returns home having ripped off 14 wins over its last 16 games and is fresh off Saturday's impressive 102-97 road decision over Northwest Division- leading Denver. John Salmons led the charge with 26 points, with Ersan Ilyasova adding 14 along with 10 rebounds off the bench.

The Bucks outscored the Nuggets, 26-21, in the fourth quarter to snap a 76-76 deadlock and held off their opponent down the stretch. Denver got as close as one point down on several occasions late, but Milwaukee was able to withstand the charge and iced the game on an Ilyasova layup that produced a four-point lead with 1:12 to go.

"We knew we were under a lot of adversity," Salmons said. "We tried to come out, play hard and give it our best shot."

Milwaukee's outstanding run has placed the club into fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 38-30 record. If the season ended today the Bucks would face Atlanta, which presently occupies the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, in the Quarterfinal Round of next month's playoffs.

The Hawks certainly have the opportunity to better their standing, though, as they're tied with Atlantic Division front-runner Boston with a 45-24 overall mark. Atlanta enters tonight's play trailing Orlando for both first place in the Southeast Division and the East's No. 2 seed by 3 1/2 games.

Atlanta enters the Bradley Center off back-to-back overtime wins at home over Charlotte and San Antonio. In Sunday's 119-114 verdict over the Spurs, Al Horford scored six of his 22 points in the extra session and came down with a a game-high 18 rebounds to lead the Hawks to a fifth triumph in their last six outings.

"Playing Charlotte and San Antonio back-to-back, it gives us a great feel on what the playoffs are going to be like," said Horford. "Those are two playoff teams that play real well defensively. We really had to be on point [Sunday]."

The Hawks had plenty of other players contribute to yesterday's win. Marvin Williams delivered 26 points and nine rebounds, Joe Johnson compiled 20 points and 13 assists, while super-sub Jamal Crawford came up with 19 points in 35 minutes off the bench.

Atlanta also needed overtime to prevail in its previous meeting with the Bucks this season. The Hawks topped Milwaukee by a 106-102 count in Georgia on February 28, with Johnson netting nine of 24 points after regulation and Josh Smith racking up 22 points and 15 assists. Salmons had another big night for the Bucks in that contest, as the trade-deadline acquisition poured in a season-best 32 points.

The Hawks have won five of the past six overall meetings in the series, but are just 3-17 over their last 20 trips to Milwaukee. Atlanta snapped a four- game losing streak at the Bradley Center with a 113-105 triumph on April 8 of last season.

Tonight's tilt starts up a five-game homestand for the Bucks, who have won seven in a row at the Bradley Center and are a strong 23-9 as the host this season.