Star power will be the talk about this series and defense will be a very big key as well. I like the defense for Toronto and the ability to slow them down. The Raptors come in with revenge losing both of their game in Toronto as well as Milwaukee will take some time to shake off the rust from an eight-day layoff after a surprisingly easy series with Boston. Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green won a title in San Antonio giving the Raptors a slight edge in experience.

The road team has won and covered the last three meetings, two by Milwaukee, who are 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings overall. The Bucks are blazing right now with wins and covers in their last four and 8-1 ATS in their last nine. The Bucks haven't played in a week, but I look for them to come out sharp and remember the Game 1 loss vs. Boston. Bucks cover.

It was a hard-fought second round in the NBA playoffs, with the Bucks being the only team to advance quickly. They knocked out the Celtics in five games. The added time off could be huge, especially with the Raptors forced to play seven games against the Sixers. That’s important because the Raptors don’t have great depth, so they could have used some additional rest. The Bucks are the superior team and will be looking to get off to a good start on their home floor, so I’ll take them to cover Wednesday in Game 1.

I like this play for a lot of the same reasons I liked taking the Warriors on Tuesday. The Bucks come into this game rested after taking out the Celtics in five, while Toronto needed a buzzer-beater from Kawhi Leonard to get past the Sixers in seven. Give me the rested team at home.

The Bucks have a huge edge with their bench, especially with Malcolm Brogdon back. The Raptors basically cannot afford to let Kawhi Leonard rest at all. Look for Milwaukee to learn from its Game 1 flop versus Boston, and cover.