NBA Betting: Raptors, Bucks in Pivotal Game 5

The Eastern Conference final returns to Milwaukee on Thursday night all square, as the Milwaukee Bucks host the Toronto Raptors in a pivotal Game 5.

The Raptors tied the series 2-2 on Tuesday night with a 120-102 win as a 3-point home underdog at Bovada Sportsbook. Kyle Lowry led the Raptors with 25 points and six assists in the win, while Kawhi Leonard added 19 points and seven rebounds. The Raptors bench delivered when it counted with Norman Powell, Serge Ibaka and Fred VanVleet all scoring in double digits.

Toronto continued to find a way to slow down the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo in Game 4. Antetokounmpo netted 25 points to go along with 10 rebounds, while Khris Middleton led Milwaukee with 30 points.

The home team has won every game in this series so far, which bodes well for the Bucks heading home for Game 5. Overall the Bucks have won four straight at home both straight up and against the spread and in the postseason so far they’re 6-1 SU and ATS in Milwaukee.

Toronto has struggled on road in playoffs

If the Raptors are going to avoid falling behind in the series again, they’ll have to improve their mediocre playoff road performance. Toronto has lost three straight road games SU and ATS, and the Raptors are 3-4 SU and 2-5 ATS on the road in the postseason. Struggling on the road in the playoffs is nothing new for Toronto. Heading into this year’s playoffs, the Raptors were 1-6 SU and 2-5 ATS in their previous seven road playoff games.

Including the playoffs, the Raptors and Bucks have clashed in Milwaukee four times this season and the Bucks are 3-1 SU and ATS. Before this season the Raptors had dominated this matchup in Milwaukee with a 10-5 record SU and 9-6 mark ATS in their last 15 games.

OVER trending when Raptors visit Bucks

For totals bettors, this series has turned into a winner for OVER bettors. After Game 1 went UNDER, the next three games all went OVER the posted total. In the last five games between the Raptors and Bucks in Milwaukee, the OVER is 4-1.

With the Bucks holding home-court advantage through the rest of the series, the oddsmakers at Bovada Sportsbook have them listed as the series favorite. On the latest series odds, the Bucks are a -270 favorite and the Raptors are a +220 series underdog.