The series is heading back to Canada after the Toronto Raptors managed to beat the Milwaukee Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in a very low-scoring Game 4 (87:76) on Friday to make it 2-2 overall. We’ll see at least two more match-ups before the series ends and it won’t be a surprise at all if we live up to the final Game 7, considering how the teams have played so far. The Game 5 is scheduled for Monday, April 24th at 07:00 PM ET.
Milwaukee Bucks at Toronto Raptors Game 5
Line: Toronto Raptors -6 (-104); moneyline -227
Total: 191.5 points (-105 over; -104 under)
The Bucks trying to repeat the Game 1 success
The Milwaukee Bucks (42-40) got the Raptors as their First Round opponents after finishing the regular season schedule ranked sixth in the East. First match-up between the two foes played down on April 15th when the Bucks defeated the Raptors in Toronto, 83:97 to start the series with a win. Game 2 went the Raptors way on April 19th, while the Bucks won the first match-up in front of their own crowd on April 21st that gave the team the 2-1 lead. In a Game 4 loss at home Tony Snell led the team with 19 points while Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 14 points and had team-high four assists.
Major contribution from the bench came from Greg Monroe who scored 14 points and recorded nine rebounds and two steals. Khris Middleton dominated the defensive end with team-high 11 rebounds accompanied with 10 points. Interesting fact is that all nine Bucks players managed to get themselves on the scoreboard.
During the regular season Giannis Antetokounmpo topped the team across the board with 22.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game while Jabari Parker averaged 20.1 points and solid 6.2 rebounds per game. Khris Middleton scored 14.7 points in average along with 3.4 assists per game while Greg Monroe and Malcolm Brogdon also made a solid impact with 11.7 and 10.2 points per contest.
In the postseason, Antetokounmpo also leads the team in every important segment except in passing where Khris Middleton tops the team with 5.3 assists in average. Antetokounmpo scores 21.3 points and collects 10.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per match. Center Greg Monroe ranks second in scoring and in rebounding with 15.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Two more Bucks players are averaging double figures in the Playoffs as Khris Middleton gets 15.0 and Tony Snell averages 12.3 points per matchup. Matthew Dellavedova and Malcolm Brogdon are also making an impact in the playoffs so far as they average 7.5 and 7.3 points per match. Brogdon also gets solid 4.3 assists per game.
Jabari Parker (Knee) is expected to be out until at least February 1, 2018.
Place: Air Canada Center, Toronto, Canada
Date/Time: Monday, April 24th, 2017. 07:00 PM ET
TV Coverage: NBA TV
The Raptors hope to continue the streak
After ending the regular season play with four consecutive wins and securing the No. 3 spot in the East that provides the home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, Toronto Raptors (51-31) opened the playoff series against the Bucks on the worst possible way, with a loss in front of their own crowd.
They managed to overcome the Bucks team in Game 2, 106:100, but failed again in the Milwaukee series opener. In the last encounter on Friday, Raptors managed to limit the Bucks on only 76 points and forced them to make season-high 21 turnovers. This focused approach secured the win that they needed desperately before the series got back at their home court. DeMar DeRozan led the team in Game 4 with 33 points, nine rebounds and five assists while Kyle Lowry contributed with 18 points, four rebounds and four assists. Three more Raptors went double-digits in scoring as Norman Powell and Jonas Valanciunas added 12 points each and Serge Ibaka scored 10. Ibaka also contributed on the defensive end with eight boards and three blocked shots.
During the regular season DeRozan topped the team in scoring with 27.3 points while also adding 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Kyle Lowry topped the passing segment with 7.0 assists while also adding 22.4 points per contest. Other major contributors were Serge Ibaka with 14.2 points and 6.8 rebounds, and Jonas Valanciunas with 12.0 points and team-high 9.5 boards per match.
Cory Joseph also had a solid season with 9.3 points and 3.3 assists in average. In the playoffs, DeRozan also tops the team in scoring with 22.8 points while adding 6.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per matchup. Serge Ibaka dominates the defensive end with 8.0 boards and 2.3 blocks accompanied with 12.8 points in average while Kyle Lowry tops the passing segment with 4.3 assists and a team-high 1.5 steals per game. Valanciunas contributes with 10.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest.
Toronto Raptors have no injuries reported.
Milwaukee Bucks at Toronto Raptors Game Trends & Prediction
The Milwaukee Bucks are 39-47-0 ATS overall, 20-23-0 at home and 19-24-0 away. They are 42-42-2 Over/Under, 23-19-1 at home and 19-23-1 away. The Bucks are 4-6 ATS and 5-5 Over/Under in their last 10 games, and 4-1 ATS and 2-3 Over/Under in their last 5 road games.
The Toronto Raptors finally covered in the last game, winning the game 4 in Milwaukee. The Raptors are now 45-41-0 ATS overall, 27-16-0 at home and 18-25-0 away. They are 41-38-1 Over/Under, 23-16-1 at home and 18-22-0 away. The Raptors are 5-4-1 ATS and 6-4 Over/Under in their last 10 games, and 2-3 ATS and 5-0 Over/Under in their last 5 home games. The books keep on adjusting the total from game to game, this time decreasing it by a total of 4 points compared to the last match-up.
The Bucks score 103.2 (101.1 away) and allow 103.1 (103.6 away) points per game. The Raptors score 106.0 (110.1 at home) and allow 102.3 (103.0 at home) points per game. The Toronto Raptors have played the Milwaukee Bucks 4 times during the regular season, managing to defeat them on three occasions, while the Bucks came out on top only once.
Teams are pretty equal when it comes to the statistical parameters but low scoring trend is obvious. Neither team has stood out in the shooting percentages, which had its effect on the low scoring numbers in the end. However, the Raptors proved that they have found the answer for the fast paced Bucks, finding a way to win and level the series score. The win in Milwaukee will certainly be a nice confidence booster going into the game 5. Therefore, I am picking the home team while also expecting the low scoring trend to continue, which is why I am taking the under as well.
My Pick: Toronto Raptors -6 (-104)
Total: Under 191.5 points (-104)
