The Toronto Raptors have to level the series before the scene shifts south for the next two games. Toronto laid an egg in the series opener against the Milwaukee Bucks with the Greek Freak lighting up the home team thanks to his impressive display of skills. Losing this one would put Toronto in a very difficult spot, while a win for Milwaukee would be the first series win for the franchise since 2000-01. Look for a much better performance for Toronto this time around.
This war on the floor will go down Tuesday, April 18, 2017, at 7 p.m. ET at Air Canada Centre. The game will be televised live on NBATV. We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA playoff schedule.
Odds Analysis
Toronto -7, O/U 192.5
Milwaukee has now won six of its last nine road games and knocked off teams like Portland and Boston in addition to the win against Toronto on Saturday. The Bucks have been a strong under team lately with the under having a 5-0-1 mark in their last six as only one game had more than 200 total points.
Toronto has seen a lot of overs cash at home. The over is 26-15 in Raptors games this season, but any time these teams have met, points have been more scarce. Under is 4-1 in games between these two sides on the year.
Key Stat
It’s no surprise why the Raptors dropped the first game. Their dynamic duo of guards failed to deliver in Game 1. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, combined to go just 9 of 32 from the field in the first game of the series and neither one could sink a thing from downtown as well. It was a very disappointing performance for both, but at least DeRozan was able to get to the line.
Some of those poor numbers were influenced by the defense of Malcolm Brogdon. Brogdon should win Rookie of the Year for his performance as the second banana in Milwaukee and his defense has gotten better as the season has progressed. He was considered a shutdown player at Virginia, but it took him some time to get going at the next level. Now Brogdon is playing solid basketball on both ends of the floor and is again developing a reputation as a stopper.
Player to Watch
It was a magnificent playoff debut for Giannis Antetokuonmpo. He went 14 of 18 from the floor for a game-high 28 points and proved that he is ready for the postseason. Antetokuonmpo helped out on the glass as well, but he has to remember to play within himself this series.
The Greek Freak ended up picking up his fourth foul midway through the third quarter and had to take a seat on the bench and hope his team held the lead. The Bucks complied, even extending the lead without him in the lineup, but it was more of a factor of Toronto’s terrible shooting in the second half than anything else. Antetokuonmpo must know that the Raptors will try to get him in foul trouble and attack him defensively.
Free NBA ATS Picks
There’s no way that Toronto’s guards will play this poorly again. Lowry had quite a few open looks, but just couldn’t connect, and DeRozan will stop forcing shots this time around. The big men played relatively well for Toronto in the loss, but just couldn’t survive such a poor performance from their best two players.
If Milwaukee is going to steal another one, it is going to need a solid game from Greg Monroe. Monroe is the only player that the Bucks have who can battle against the Raptors’ bigs down low for boards and snagged 15 rebounds in Game 1. Repeating that performance is critical for Milwaukee’s chances.
NBA Odds: Raptors 100, Bucks 91
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