The Toronto Raptors are one of seven franchises never to have advanced to the NBA Finals. The quest to end that drought won't be easy, as they travel to Milwaukee to face the top-seeded Bucks for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Tipoff on Wednesday is at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Raptors got this far in the 2019 NBA Playoffs after Kawhi Leonard's astonishing buzzer-beater to knock off the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night. Now, they match wits with a Bucks team that won 60 games, most in the NBA, and is 8-1 so far in the postseason. The Pistons and Celtics couldn't contain Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo enough to get past the Bucks, who also handled the Raptors in three of the four regular season matchups, including both games in Toronto. Milwaukee is favored by 6.5 with an over-under of 218.5 points in the current Raptors vs. Bucks odds. Before you make any Raptors vs. Bucks picks and NBA predictions, see what SportsLine's advanced computer model has to say.
The model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, is crushing its NBA picks. It entered the conference finals in the 2019 NBA Playoffs with a sterling record on its top-rated picks, returning more than $3,000 in profit to anybody following them this season. And it has been particularly red-hot on its A-rated NBA money line picks, entering the conference finals on a strong 85-61 run. Anybody who has followed it is way up.
Now it has locked in on Game 1 of Bucks vs. Raptors. We can tell you it's leaning under, and it also says one side of the spread hits in over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see that selection at SportsLine.
The model knows Antetokounmpo gets the headlines in Milwaukee. The Greek Freak averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals this season, but the Bucks also proved to be one of the NBA's deepest teams. Six players averaged in double-figures during the regular season, and that balance has been even more-pronounced in the NBA Playoffs 2019. Eight players are averaging at least eight points in the postseason.
The Bucks didn't just beat the Pistons and Celtics to get this far, they dominated them. In the 2019 NBA Playoffs, the Bucks have covered in eight of nine games with an average margin of 15.3 points -- doubling the Raptors (7.6), who have the No. 2 mark in the league. The Bucks have been favored by between five and eight points 22 times this season, just like they are on Wednesday. They've covered in 15 of them.
But just because top-seeded Milwaukee has dominated doesn't mean it'll cover the Raptors vs. Bucks spread.
Leonard responded as superstars should in Game 7 of the Sixers vs. Raptors series -- by taking over. He took a whopping 39 shots, hitting 16 of them for 41 points, including the miracle buzzer-beater to propel Toronto even further in the NBA Playoffs 2019. While the Bucks had the second-best home record in the NBA, the Raptors won't be intimidated. They had the third-best road mark in the league, going 26-15. This game will be the fifth time they've been between a five- and eight-point underdog, and Toronto covered in the previous four.
For Milwaukee, it will have been a full week since they played a game. Only twice this year have the Bucks had four-plus days off between games - they lost both of them by an average of 10.5 points. Plus, the Raptors won at Milwaukee 123-116 on Jan. 5, surviving a 43-point barrage by Antetokounmpo. Leonard and Pascal Siakam each scored 30 points that game.
So who wins Raptors vs. Bucks? And which side of the spread cashes in over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Raptors vs. Bucks spread is a must-back in Game 1, all from the advanced computer model that's up more than $3,000 on top-rated NBA picks.
