NBA Saturday's Early Tips
By Brian Edwards
**Atlanta at Brooklyn**
-- As of early Friday afternoon, most betting shops had Atlanta (62-22 straight up, 50-32-2 against the spread) installed as a 2.5-point favorite with a total of 200.5 points. Gamblers can back the Nets on the money line for a +120 return (risk $100 to win $120). For first-half bets, the Hawks are favored by one with a total of 98.5.
-- Atlanta took a 2-0 lead with a pair of home wins in the first two games of this best-of-seven series. Now we move to Barclays Arena for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday. The Nets have taken the cash in the first two encounters, but we're obviously looking at a more reasonable number in Game 3.
-- Atlanta has won all six head-to-head meetings between these clubs this year, including a pair of games in Brooklyn. The Hawks took a 2-0 advantage with Wednesday's 96-91 triumph, but the Nets took the cash as 9.5-point road underdogs.
-- Atlanta All-Star power forward Paul Millsap was the catalyst in Game 2. After missing five games with a shoulder sprain, Millsap returned to the court in the regular-season finale and in Game 1. Wearing a protective pad, however, he struggled with his shooting by going just 4-of-20 from the field. But Millsap shed the pad for Game 2 and was clearly more comfortable. He drained all four of his 3-point attempts and finished 7-of-11 from the floor en route to scoring a team-best 19 points. Millsap also had seven rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Kyle Korver scored 17 points, including a pair of game-clinching free throws in the final seconds. Jeff Teague had 16 points and six assists, while Al Horford posted a double-double with 14 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and a pair of blocked shots.
-- In the Game 2 loss, veteran reserve point guard Jarrett Jack was nothing short of sensational while playing in the town where he had a storied collegiate career at Ga. Tech. Jack produced a game-high 23 points by hitting 9-of-13 shots from the field, including a trey that trimmed the deficit to 90-89 with two minutes remaining. Jack also had five rebounds, three assists and one steal. Brook Lopez was outstanding as well, tallying 20 points, seven boards and three rejections. Joe Johnson finished with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Alan Anderson came off the bench to score in double figures with 13 points. Deron Williams had a solid floor game, snaring 10 rebounds and dishing out eight assists, but he was only 1-of-7 from the field and scored two points. Williams missed a potential game-tying shot in the final minute on a clean look from 15 feet out on the baseline. Don't be surprised if Lionel Hollins give Jack more of Williams's minutes in Game 3.
-- Brooklyn (38-46 SU, 41-41-2 ATS) went 19-22 SU and 16-23-2 ATS at home during the regular season.
-- Atlanta owns a 24-15-2 spread record on the road this season.
-- Totals have been an overall wash (42-42) for Atlanta this season. The 'over' has hit at a 22-19 clip in the Hawks' road assignments.
-- The 'under' is 47-37 overall for Brooklyn, 21-20 in its home games.
-- TNT will have Saturday's broadcast at 3:05 p.m. Eastern.
**Chicago at Milwaukee**
-- As of early Friday afternoon, most books had Chicago (53-32 SU, 42-43 ATS) listed as a five-point favorite with a total of 188.5. Gamblers can back the Bucks to win outright for a +175 return (risk $100 to win $175). For first-half wagers, the Bulls are favored by 2.5 with a total of 95.5.
-- Chicago will be going for the kill shot in this spot after taking a 3-0 series advantage with Thursday's overtime win. The Bulls captured a 113-106 win in double overtime to hook up their backers with a super-fortunate cover as 2.5-point road 'chalk.' Derrick Rose was the catalyst with 34 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals. Jimmy Butler's spectacular play in this series continued, as the Marquette product played 53 minutes and tallied 24 points, three steals and a pair of blocked shots. Pau Gasol added 17 points, 14 boards, five assists and two blocks, while Tony Snell scored 16 points from off the bench.
-- In the crushing Game 3 defeat, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 25 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Michael Carter-Williams contributed 19 points, nine assists, four rebounds and two steals, while Khris Middleton had 18 points, seven assists and a pair of steals. John Henson was terrific from off the bench, producing 15 points, 14 boards and three rejections. Jared Dudley was also in double figures with 11 points, but the Bucks couldn't finish at the end of regulation. Rose answered a go-ahead bucket from Middleton, who put Milwaukee up one with 10 seconds remaining, by making 1-of-2 free throws with 4.9 ticks left to force the first extra session. Middleton got a good look for the win moments later, but he was off the mark and OT ensued.
-- Milwaukee (41-44 SU, 46-38-1 ATS) was ahead of the number for 47 minutes and change in Game 2, yet its backers suffered a heartbreaking defeat (for our ATS purposes) in the 91-82 loss as a 7.5-point road underdog. Middleton scored a team-high 22 points in the setback, while Butler's 31 points for Chicago were a game-high.
-- With Thursday's spread cover in Game 3, Chicago improved to 21-21 ATS on the road this year.
-- Chicago is in the midst of a seven-game winning streak and has gone 6-1 versus the number during that span. The Bulls are a perfect 3-0 ATS in this series, while the 'over' has gone 2-1.
-- The Bucks are 20-22 ATS at home in the Bradley Center this season.
-- The 'over' is 43-41-1 overall for the Bulls, but they have watched the 'under' cash at a 23-18-1 clip in their road assignments.
-- The 'under' is 46-39 overall for the Bucks, 24-18 in their home contests.
-- Tip-off is scheduled for 5:35 p.m. Eastern on TNT.
