Bucks NBA Playoff Odds
How the Milwaukee Bucks Got Here
The perception that Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn't been as good as he was during his back-to-back MVP campaigns has become the theme of the Milwaukee Bucks' season.
The Bucks finished third in the Eastern Conference after back-to-back years of blowing the doors off the league. Their advanced metrics show that they are still as dangerous as in previous seasons: They rank fourth in Offensive Rating (116.6), third in Net Rating (+6.0), and second in Effective Field Goal Percentage (56.6%). That offensive number in particular has made the over a profitable bet in Bucks games (40-31, 56.3%), according to data from Bet Labs.
The Bucks still played their top competition well going 22-14 against teams at or above .500. Antetokounmpo has also played at a level equal to his MVP seasons: 28.1 points, 5.9 assists, 11.0 rebounds and 16.7 points in the paint.
Milwaukee gets a lot of its offense (19.4%) in transition per NBA Advanced Stats and teams will look to stop Antetokounmpo in the open floor as they have in past playoff series. Adding Jrue Holiday in the offseason gives the Bucks another player who can get his own shot or set up Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.
Health will also be key for the Bucks. They haven't had any major injury issues, but Antetokounmpo sat out for a six game stretch with knee soreness in April. In the 16 games since, he has looked unstoppable at times with two 40-point games in the month of May, including his 49-point outburst against the Brooklyn Nets.
The conversation surrounding the Bucks will always center around how they perform in the playoffs. Oddsmakers have the Bucks listed just behind the 76ers and Nets to win the East and they have the sixth-best odds to win the NBA championship. Will this be the year that Bucks finally break through?
