The East conference top teams, Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets, meet on Friday night at Barclays. These two sides have a very turbulent recent history that saw them going toe to toe in the last season’s East finals series. In the end, inches decided (Durant’s three), preventing the Nets from entering the big finals and meeting the Suns. Instead of them, the Bucks reached the ring, which undoubtedly hurts Durant, Harden, and Kyrie. Giannis was out against the Raptors, but we expect him to face the big rivals. We are more than sure that the Greek Freak won’t miss this opportunity to compete with the big adversaries.
Preview
Milwaukee Bucks (25-15, +135) lost the last two games, both of them at home. The first was against the Pistons, 115-106, and the latest vs. Toronto Raptors, 117-111 two nights ago. Things were tough for the Bucks in that one because they didn’t have Giannis due to an illness.
We also need to add that the head coach, Mike Budenholzer, had to skip the match after entering the health and safety protocols. He probably won’t be in Brooklyn as well. The Bucks scored 42 points in the opening quarter but after that simply stopped.
Khris Middleton had a team-high 25 points, with six boards. Jordan Nwora added 17 with six boards, while Boogie Cousins ended the night with 15 points and 10 boards in 20 minutes off the bench. He’s been extremely productive since joining the Bucks. Jrue Holiday had 15 buckets, 12 dimes, and eight boards, pretty close to reaching a triple-double.
Brooklyn Nets (24-12, -165) snapped a three-game losing streak in Indianapolis, 129-121. It was the first game for Kyrie Irving this year, and we can say that Uncle Drew didn’t lose any of his abilities. In 22 minutes on the floor, the former champion scored 22 points, and four boards, three boards, and three assists.
Irving was a true refreshment for a bit unconvincing Nets team, who has been struggling quite frequently in recent times. They would make only five threes in 21 attempts, against the Pacers.
Kevin Durant ended the game with 39 points, eight boards, and seven assists. James Harden scored 18 with six assists and five boards, while LaMarcus Aldridge contributed with 13 buckets off the bench.
Head to Head Games
The first game was among the openers of the campaign. Milwaukee hosted the Nets in Wisconsin, and they won, 127-104. Giannis dominated the matchup, having 32 points, 14 boards, and seven assists. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant was the best among the guests, with 32 points and 11 rebounds.
Prediction
Kyrie won’t play, but both the Beard and KD are available for the Nets, who are almost done with the absences. On the other side, the Bucks have some problems, but the major one is Giannis’ status. We expect him to play, however, will he be at 100%, that is the question. We are backing up the hosts to win here, with the current odds on that sitting at -162. No need to chase the spread or anything like this, just go with the playing victory and eliminate all the risks right away.
Pick: Nets win -165
Nikola Velickovic is a sports journalist who loves to write and read on all sports. Nikola contributes both news updates and functions as a sports breaking news writer at WagerBop.
Email: nikola@wagerbop.com
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