Bucks-Hawks picks, NBA playoff betting odds: Lean on Atlanta to force Game 7, with or without Trae Young

Expect the Hawks to stave off elimination in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals

The story of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals was the players who were too injured to play. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Trae Young, De'Andre Hunter and Donte DiVincenzo all missed the game, but I don't think it should be lost in Milwaukee's win that the Atlanta Hawks had several other players known to be dealing with injuries whereas the rest of the Bucks roster appears more or less healthy. Bogdan Bogdanovic has been listed on the injury report all series with knee soreness. Clint Capela was questionable in Game 5 due to eye inflammation. Cam Reddish went down in February, and despite flashing his typical upside, has still only played 63 minutes since then.  Injuries shouldn't be viewed as binary. It's not just a matter of who is in and who is out. Players operating at less than 100 percent can often be just as impactful. Capela gave Atlanta only 21 minutes in Game 5. Bogdanovic was held to single digits in scoring for six straight games, and even as his productivity has improved, he's been almost entirely reliant on jump shooting over the past few games. Their limitations have an enormous effect on what their teams can do schematically.  Ultimately, you should hold off on making bets until you have a read on how healthy Young and Antetokounmpo are. But if this series does indeed play out with both of them either out or meaningfully limited, remember that Milwaukee is far healthier on balance even if the superstars cancel each other out. With that in mind, let's move on to Saturday's top picks.