2025 NBA Season

[CLS63]

Bucks have the advantage against Hawks, 3-2 as they won the fifth game 123-112. Trae Young and Giannis both didn't play in this game as they were still injured. I expected a little boring game because of it but it was quite good actually. B. Lopez made me really surprised as he scored 33 points and was one of the players carried the team to the victory. At Hawks, Bogdanovic had 28 points and was the most scorer of the team. But it wasn't enough for getting a win I'm afraid.

If Giannis comes back, I believe that Bucks will finish the series and be the opponent of Suns in the final series.

[Japinat]

Bucks have the advantage against Hawks, 3-2 as they won the fifth game 123-112. Trae Young and Giannis both didn't play in this game as they were still injured. I expected a little boring game because of it but it was quite good actually. B. Lopez made me really surprised as he scored 33 points and was one of the players carried the team to the victory. At Hawks, Bogdanovic had 28 points and was the most scorer of the team. But it wasn't enough for getting a win I'm afraid.

We all see that, and we are also surprise with Lopez as he did not only contributed on the offense but on the defensive end as well.
That confidence should still remain as they need that to close out the game in game 6.

If Giannis comes back, I believe that Bucks will finish the series and be the opponent of Suns in the final series.

Giannis might not be able to come back in this series, of if he will, he would not force in game 6 as they are on the lead, it will be game 7 I guess.
However, I think it's Trae Young that will likely to come back, not Giannis.

[akirasendo17]

Bucks have the advantage against Hawks, 3-2 as they won the fifth game 123-112. Trae Young and Giannis both didn't play in this game as they were still injured. I expected a little boring game because of it but it was quite good actually. B. Lopez made me really surprised as he scored 33 points and was one of the players carried the team to the victory. At Hawks, Bogdanovic had 28 points and was the most scorer of the team. But it wasn't enough for getting a win I'm afraid.

We all see that, and we are also surprise with Lopez as he did not only contributed on the offense but on the defensive end as well.
That confidence should still remain as they need that to close out the game in game 6.

If Giannis comes back, I believe that Bucks will finish the series and be the opponent of Suns in the final series.

Giannis might not be able to come back in this series, of if he will, he would not force in game 6 as they are on the lead, it will be game 7 I guess.
However, I think it's Trae Young that will likely to come back, not Giannis.

Lopez played important role in game 6 and game 7 in the Brooklyn series, even though nobody noticed, during those games, he made crucial baskets, and alter shoots underneath, blocks, and intimidation, same with this hawks series, Giannis might not also play if they make it to the finals, since we still don't know how serious those injuries and the medical staff might rule him out of the remaining bucks games, to protect him and for the future of the franchise also.

[dwyane36]

Giannis might not be able to come back in this series, of if he will, he would not force in game 6 as they are on the lead, it will be game 7 I guess.
However, I think it's Trae Young that will likely to come back, not Giannis.

It looks like you're right because there are rumors that Trae Young's status is questionable for the upcoming game. So it means that he probably will be able to play. Regarding Antetokoumpo, he most likely will miss game 6 because his status is the same as before game 5.

[LogitechMouse]

Well, It seems that this way the teams were more balanced and as incredible as it may seem, in my opinion I even believe the Bucks played better without Giannis in Game 5 than with him in Game 4. By the way, Portis played very well, he surprised me a lot.

He is, it's not actually that surprising. It's just that they didn't give him quality minutes once he heats up. But, every time they used him to rest Giannis he can score and make the fans go wild. Crazy Eyes! 
Hawks is hurt more when it comes to injuries. Trae is a big part of their team for the play to work while Giannis can do isolation games only. Then, there's Bogdanovic's knee injury that slows him down.
Bucks may finish this at Atlanta if they can't find a way to counter-attack.

Trae Young needs to be back next game, it is crucial game for them, it will be in their home court so we should expect that they will give everything. So hopefully, if Young is back, it will be a different ball game for the Hawks. They need him badly as Sweet Lou didn't have the same game he had. Bucks storm and build some lead just in the first quarter. So Hawks has to cover a lot of grounds, Brook Lopez dominated them inside. I'm still thinking though if Hawks can extend the series.

The problem with the Hawks is that they are getting dominated inside the paint.
Lopez got 33 points in 14/18 shooting. Portis got 22 and 8. Even Tucker who has a height of a guard also got 11 rebounds. Its pretty obvious that the Bucks just maximized on inside and that is where they get the most points.

Trae's presence might be felt if he will return in Game 6 and it might help them but if they can't do anything to stop or at least lessen the Bucks from scoring inside the paint then the Hawks will have a problem with it. The Bucks aren't that good in 3 point so they will score in 2's. Either way, this is I think the only way for the Bucks to win. Stop the bigs of Bucks inside.

[ultrloa]

Giannis might not be able to come back in this series, of if he will, he would not force in game 6 as they are on the lead, it will be game 7 I guess.
However, I think it's Trae Young that will likely to come back, not Giannis.

It looks like you're right because there are rumors that Trae Young's status is questionable for the upcoming game. So it means that he probably will be able to play. Regarding Antetokoumpo, he most likely will miss game 6 because his status is the same as before game 5.

Not good to see both stars are down since we cannot see them doing some good action towards this games but its good for their other players to show how good they are even if there main stars are out in the game. But let see who's gonna face the suns in the finals.

[TravelMug]

Giannis might not be able to come back in this series, of if he will, he would not force in game 6 as they are on the lead, it will be game 7 I guess.
However, I think it's Trae Young that will likely to come back, not Giannis.

It looks like you're right because there are rumors that Trae Young's status is questionable for the upcoming game. So it means that he probably will be able to play. Regarding Antetokoumpo, he most likely will miss game 6 because his status is the same as before game 5.

Not good to see both stars are down since we cannot see them doing some good action towards this games but its good for their other players to show how good they are even if there main stars are out in the game. But let see who's gonna face the suns in the finals.

Yeah, but in all accounts, minus both teams superstars, Bucks has the advantage man to man. They have Middleton, Holiday, and Lopez that can cover the score without Giannis.

As compare to the Hawks who have struggled in the last game, Bogdan is still injured, Lou Williams didn't have a good start, Collins is inconsistent. So if both are still out in the next game, I'm for the Bucks to win and close out the series in 6.

[Dave1]

Bucks have the advantage against Hawks, 3-2 as they won the fifth game 123-112. Trae Young and Giannis both didn't play in this game as they were still injured. I expected a little boring game because of it but it was quite good actually. B. Lopez made me really surprised as he scored 33 points and was one of the players carried the team to the victory. At Hawks, Bogdanovic had 28 points and was the most scorer of the team. But it wasn't enough for getting a win I'm afraid.

I'm expecting a somewhat low scoring ball game, but even without their stars, points are being scored, specially Brook Lopez who has 30+ or more. Bogdanovic missed a lot of shoots, he has been nursing some injury if I'm not mistaken, but he keeps on showing every game.

If Giannis comes back, I believe that Bucks will finish the series and be the opponent of Suns in the final series.

I have a feeling that Giannis will sit on the next game still and take a rest. The pressure is on the Hawks right now. They have to win otherwise the Bucks are going into the finals vs Phoenix.

[Reid]

Injuries. Lebron James was the highlight when injuries were being discussed.
It's him who broke the ice about it on Twitter regarding how many stars are being injured due to fatigue that was caused by NBA rushing the games.
https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1405236532215095301?s=20

They all didn’t wanna listen to me about the start of the season. I knew exactly what would happen. I only wanted to protect the well being of the players which ultimately is the PRODUCT & BENEFIT of OUR GAME! These injuries isn’t just “PART OF THE GAME”. It’s the lack of PURE

https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1405236533678907396?s=20

RIM REST rest before starting back up. 8, possibly 9 ALL-STARS has missed Playoff games(most in league history). This is the best time of the year for our league and fans but missing a ton of our fav players. It’s insane. If there’s one person that know about the body and how it

https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1405236534786232320?s=20

works all year round it’s ME! I speak for the health of all our players and I hate to see this many injuries this time of the year. Sorry fans wish you guys were seeing all your fav guys right now.

Shaquille O'Neal though had also something to say about all these tweets.

"When you’re living in a world where 40 million people have been laid off and I’m making $200 million, you won’t get no complaining from me," O’Neal, a former Lakers star himself, told CNBC on Tuesday. "I’d play back to back to back to back to back."

"but me personally, I don’t complain and make excuses, because real people are working their tail off and all we gotta do is train two hours a day and then play a game for two hours at night and make a lot of money ... So my thought process is a little different."

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/shaquille-oneal-blasts-lebron-james-nba-schedule-criticism-i-dont-complain-and-make-excuses

Suddenly, it changed my mind. 2 hours of training and 2 hours of game time for $200 million? Okay, I'm on Shaq's side.
Who's side are you?

[Bttzed03]

^ Yeah I would wish some players weren't injured BUT IT'S REALLY PART OF THE GAME. He could just choose to retire but he still play because there's still money in it and that's a fact. If Lakers would have made it to the Finals while he's resting, I bet he wouldn't be on twitter complaining about injuries. He'll probably say something proud about battle scars.

[gagux123]

Any news or rumors about Trae Young and Giannis Antetokounmpo for today's game

He is, it's not actually that surprising. It's just that they didn't give him quality minutes once he heats up. But, every time they used him to rest Giannis he can score and make the fans go wild. Crazy Eyes! 
Hawks is hurt more when it comes to injuries. Trae is a big part of their team for the play to work while Giannis can do isolation games only. Then, there's Bogdanovic's knee injury that slows him down.
Bucks may finish this at Atlanta if they can't find a way to counter-attack.

I don't know, but for me, Portis reminds me of other important players who stood out in others teams, for example Pascal Siakam in the year Toronto was champion, Siakam played very well, another player is Andre Iguodala when he played, he was able to help team.

Of course, Iguodala and Siakam are in a higher level than Portis, but the reason, I made this comparison because these three players can make a big impact in his team positively

[danherbias07]

Any news or rumors about Trae Young and Giannis Antetokounmpo for today's game

Trae Young questionable, Antetokounmpo doubtful for Game 6
Still the same. I don't they will risk their stars letting them play that will jeopardize for a whole year of an injury.
But let's wait, still a lot of hours before the game starts so it could change. Most of the time they decide last minute or last hour before the game.

I don't know, but for me, Portis reminds me of other important players who stood out in others teams, for example Pascal Siakam in the year Toronto was champion, Siakam played very well, another player is Andre Iguodala when he played, he was able to help team.

Of course, Iguodala and Siakam are in a higher level than Portis, but the reason, I made this comparison because these three players can make a big impact in his team positively

Good comparison. Best with Siakam. He was on the spotlight back then being the wingman of Kawhi to achieve the championship.
Hard work and efforts are surely rewarded. If Portis will be given more minutes, I bet a bonus will be given to him if they win this series.

[akirasendo17]

Bucks have the advantage against Hawks, 3-2 as they won the fifth game 123-112. Trae Young and Giannis both didn't play in this game as they were still injured. I expected a little boring game because of it but it was quite good actually. B. Lopez made me really surprised as he scored 33 points and was one of the players carried the team to the victory. At Hawks, Bogdanovic had 28 points and was the most scorer of the team. But it wasn't enough for getting a win I'm afraid.

I'm expecting a somewhat low scoring ball game, but even without their stars, points are being scored, specially Brook Lopez who has 30+ or more. Bogdanovic missed a lot of shoots, he has been nursing some injury if I'm not mistaken, but he keeps on showing every game.

If Giannis comes back, I believe that Bucks will finish the series and be the opponent of Suns in the final series.

I have a feeling that Giannis will sit on the next game still and take a rest. The pressure is on the Hawks right now. They have to win otherwise the Bucks are going into the finals vs Phoenix.

Same here, they won't put Giannis future in jeopardy, even though they see no problem in the injury, they have to make decisions with caution, sometimes, an injury seems okay and they don't feel something wrong then after they play something went wrong, and that's they don't want to happen, they still have the lead so they can afford to sit Giannis, just to be sure.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

Hawks has to cover a lot of grounds, Brook Lopez dominated them inside. I'm still thinking though if Hawks can extend the series.

Brook Lopez? Really? Where did this guy come from, he played like a super star in a very very important game,

I don't really care about his past accomplishments but he played like a real big man should in game 5. It was refreshing to see a center take advantage of his height inside and not just wait for the ball and shoot three's. Good call on the coach to give him that position and playing time.

Brook Lopez is under rated, he is as tough as we can get for a center. It's just that he is overshadow of course by Giannis performance every night. But he is a good contributor, he has game wherein he was almost perfect in the field and foul line. We haven't seen his 3 point's, but in regular season, he hits crucial 3 points shot. So doesn't surprised that he has a break out performance in the last game. And really was a big help for the Bucks to win that game.

[Jating]

Giannis might not be able to come back in this series, of if he will, he would not force in game 6 as they are on the lead, it will be game 7 I guess.
However, I think it's Trae Young that will likely to come back, not Giannis.

It looks like you're right because there are rumors that Trae Young's status is questionable for the upcoming game. So it means that he probably will be able to play. Regarding Antetokoumpo, he most likely will miss game 6 because his status is the same as before game 5.

Not good to see both stars are down since we cannot see them doing some good action towards this games but its good for their other players to show how good they are even if there main stars are out in the game. But let see who's gonna face the suns in the finals.

Latest report is that Trae Young is still questionable going into game 6.

However, I'm not discounting the fact that maybe in the last minutes, he will suited up for the game to starve out elimination. Even Clint Capella is questionable when he got a hit on the face in game 5.

It also also noted, that since we have talk about Lopez performance, they outscored the Hawks by 30 points in the paint. That's huge, so they dominated the Hawks inside.

[LogitechMouse]

Bucks have the advantage against Hawks, 3-2 as they won the fifth game 123-112. Trae Young and Giannis both didn't play in this game as they were still injured. I expected a little boring game because of it but it was quite good actually. B. Lopez made me really surprised as he scored 33 points and was one of the players carried the team to the victory. At Hawks, Bogdanovic had 28 points and was the most scorer of the team. But it wasn't enough for getting a win I'm afraid.

We all see that, and we are also surprise with Lopez as he did not only contributed on the offense but on the defensive end as well.
That confidence should still remain as they need that to close out the game in game 6.

If Giannis comes back, I believe that Bucks will finish the series and be the opponent of Suns in the final series.

Giannis might not be able to come back in this series, of if he will, he would not force in game 6 as they are on the lead, it will be game 7 I guess.
However, I think it's Trae Young that will likely to come back, not Giannis.

Giannis might not comeback to this series as a whole with what he suffered in Game 4. Trae's injury is a less severe than what Giannis got.

So lets assume that the Bucks will not have Giannis, I know for sure that they will do the same thing with a bit of adjustment. Dominate the paint that's all. 33 of their 48 FG in the game came from inside the paint. This just shows that they really dominated the paint because Hawks are lacking of inside players. Capela isn't 100% healthy too. They don't have any reliable bigs as a substitute aside from Okongwu.

I think that the Bucks will end it in Game 6 like what the Suns did as well . My prediction only.

[goinmerry]

It's unusual to see Holiday, Lopez, and Middleton combined for good numbers this playoffs series.

Usually, it's always Giannis and Middleton who are producing good numbers, and sometimes the latter is off-night.

The absence of Giannis is a good motivation for the Bucks that they need to step up and adjust. Even with Trae Young probably will play on Game 6, I'm sure the Bucks will now seal the series and take the Eastern Conference Champion.

[Reid]

^ Yeah I would wish some players weren't injured BUT IT'S REALLY PART OF THE GAME. He could just choose to retire but he still play because there's still money in it and that's a fact. If Lakers would have made it to the Finals while he's resting, I bet he wouldn't be on twitter complaining about injuries. He'll probably say something proud about battle scars.

It is. Lebron making a fuss over it could just be an exaggeration of what he is seeing.
Sure they are fatigued but it ain't like soccer/football players where they keep on running on the field for almost 2 hours.
They have their time-out too and there's halftime and then there is also the referee's review which takes a year (sarcastic) before they finalized the decision. Conclusion: it's not that tiring when you think about millions of dollars paid for a year. If I have that kind of salary, damn I'll play for a 5th quarter if they add it. 

The absence of Giannis is a good motivation for the Bucks that they need to step up and adjust. Even with Trae Young probably will play on Game 6, I'm sure the Bucks will now seal the series and take the Eastern Conference Champion.

It's true and I wish that confidence never fades away. They have good roleplayers, they just need minutes to prove it.
Portis did for the Bucks, Cam Reddish for the Hawks.

[mirakal]

The absence of Giannis is a good motivation for the Bucks that they need to step up and adjust. Even with Trae Young probably will play on Game 6, I'm sure the Bucks will now seal the series and take the Eastern Conference Champion.

It's true and I wish that confidence never fades away. They have good roleplayers, they just need minutes to prove it.
Portis did for the Bucks, Cam Reddish for the Hawks.

I think Reddish just showed up in the ECF, I've no heard of him in the early rounds of the Hawks battle, but his guy is doing great on both offense and defense. This hawks has a great future, they are compose of a young team and yet they have already exceeded our expectation.

[Baofeng]

The absence of Giannis is a good motivation for the Bucks that they need to step up and adjust. Even with Trae Young probably will play on Game 6, I'm sure the Bucks will now seal the series and take the Eastern Conference Champion.

It's true and I wish that confidence never fades away. They have good roleplayers, they just need minutes to prove it.
Portis did for the Bucks, Cam Reddish for the Hawks.

I think Reddish just showed up in the ECF, I've no heard of him in the early rounds of the Hawks battle, but his guy is doing great on both offense and defense. This hawks has a great future, they are compose of a young team and yet they have already exceeded our expectation.

If I'm not mistaken, it was Cam Reddish play off game and the kid surpasses all expectations. He did score and play good defense too. He is athletic, so for sure he has a bright future and hopefully they developed him to be the next generation of players.

And with that said, I will go with the Hawks to cover the spread, still very good odds in my opinion.