Bucks Odds of Winning Eastern Conference Final Listed at -850 After Taking 2-0 Lead on Raptors
- The Milwaukee Bucks won Game 2 125-103
- The Toronto Raptors defense has allowed the fewest points per game in the playoffs
- Kawhi Leonard needs more consistent support from his teammates if they’re to win Game 3
The Milwaukee Bucks smoked the Toronto Raptors in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, winning 125-103. Now they hold a 2-0 series lead and their current odds have gotten considerably shorter to win the series. Are they a good bet to win at this point or is there value with the Raptors?
Raptors vs Bucks Series Price
| Team | Raptors vs Bucks Series Odds |
|---|---|
| Toronto Raptors | +635 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | -850 |
Bucks Crush Raptors In Game 2
If the Raptors were trying to make a series of this, they failed miserably in Game 2. They were bullied from the outset and trailed by double-digits almost the entire game. The Raptors had just 38 points and never really threatened Milwaukee. They have to find some solutions in Game 3 or this series will be over quickly.
Giannis meets Marc Gasol at the rim? pic.twitter.com/SJX5ENkJpY
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 18, 2019
Who’s Helping Kawhi Leonard?
As has been the case in the playoffs, Leonard has been doing most of the work for the Raptors. He’s had help from different teammates at times but his supporting cast has struggled in this series. Leonard finished with 31 points on 10-of-18 shooting while making all 10 of his free throws. The rest of the team shot 38% and was 9-of-15 from the charity stripe.
“Where do you go from here?”
Kawhi: “I’m going to Toronto for Game 3” ?? pic.twitter.com/DLNPPDTKDj
— Yahoo Sports Canada (@YahooCASports) May 18, 2019
The big issue for the Raptors has been the disappearance of their frontcourt. Serge Ibaka has just 12 points in this series while Marc Gasol has eight. Gasol, in particular, has been bad as he’s just 9-of-34 in his last three games. Unless they can start doing some damage on the interior and force the defense to collapse, it’ll be an easy time of things for the Bucks to handle the Raptors guards and wings.
Bucks Can Play Even Better
The Bucks struggled in Game 1 and still pulled out a win. They played better in Game 2 and crushed the Raptors by 22 points, but that still wasn’t their best game. Yes, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points with 17 rebounds and five assists, and yes, getting 31 points from Ersan Ilysova and George Hill was great.
#FEARTHEDEER@Giannis_An34 posts 30 PTS, 17 REB, 5 AST as the @Bucks take a 2-0 series lead! #NBAPlayoffs
Game 3: Sunday (5/19), 7pm/et, TNT pic.twitter.com/FMTqDj5UIR
— NBA (@NBA) May 18, 2019
At the same time, the Bucks shot just 31.7% from three, making just 13-of-41 three-pointers. This is a team that shot 35.3% from three in the regular season. Their field goal and free throw percentages in Game 2 were also shy of their regular season averages.
Raptors Must Keep this Low-Scoring
This is proving to be a bad matchup for Toronto. Their defense is what’s carried them in the postseason, as they’ve allowed 96.9 points per game in the playoffs. That’s the best of the 16 participants. However, they’re scoring just 103.3, which ranks 10th.
It’s all Giannis early ?
(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/hNGDgeoxgJ
— ESPN (@espn) May 18, 2019
If they can somehow keep these games in the low 100’s, they’ll have a shot. If it extends anywhere beyond that, they’re in trouble.
What’s The Best Bet?
I would hold off betting anything here because I expect Game 3 to be the Raptors best punch. If you have Milwaukee on the series already, just hold onto the ticket for now. If you really want to bet Milwaukee, I would wait until after Game 3 where the price might drop if the Raptors win.
For over 15 years, Dave has been working in mainstream media and sports betting. He hosted a station on Sirius Satellite Radio for four years, and is currently a senior writer for AskMen. He's interviewed hundreds of hundreds of high-profile sports stars like Shaquille O'Neal and Floyd Mayweather.
