NBA: Brooklyn Nets vs. Milwaukee Bucks Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Brooklyn Nets visit the Milwaukee Bucks this Wednesday night. These two teams were the top two powers in the East two years ago, yet during the previous year, they were disappointed. While the Nets collapsed, the Bucks gave their best, yet that wasn’t enough for more than the East semis. Brooklyn is looking mediocre right now, and for the moment, we don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel for this crew. Milwaukee won both of its games and has healthier chemistry.

Preview

Brooklyn Nets (1-2, +130) lost to the younger teams, the Pelicans at home, and the Grizzlies on the road. In between, the Nets beat the Raptors 109-105, yet it appears that it was just a temporary spark.

Memphis was better than KD and the boys, 134-124, who had a lead at halftime but lost their rhythm in the third period. The Grizzlies won that sequence, 45-28, gaining an advantage that lasted until the end. Both Durant and Irving had marvelous stats, but their rivals on the other side of the floor, Morant and Bane, dropped 38 buckets each.

Durant had 37 points, Irving the same, and apart from Nix Claxton who added 16 buckets, there weren’t any players to help these two guys. Ben Simmons was once again mediocre with seven points and eight assists, fouling out after 28 minutes.

The Nets had nine threes made in 29 points, and once again, the percentages from the deep are one of the main problems for Steve Nash’s crew. A low number of boards, only 35, is another problem they need to take care of, but as we said, for the moment, things aren’t looking bright for this crew.

Milwaukee Bucks (2-0, -125) won in Philadelphia on their opening night, 90-88, and after that, beat the Rockets at home, 125-105. We saw them being fluid and adjustable, playing tough basketball against good teams and open-minded against the Rockets, one under-average crew this season.

Giannis had 44 points against the guests from Texas, with 12 boards, showing that he came into the new season ready. He had been playing the EuroBasket during the summer, which is why his form reached a very high level early on.

Jrue Holiday had a double-double as well, 19 buckets and 10 dimes, while Bobby Portis scored 13 points off the bench with eight boards. We need to remind you that Milwaukee doesn’t have Middleton, Ingles and Connaughton due to various injuries. This is a big handicap for the former champs, but they have enough players to jump in the rotation.

Head to Head Games

During the previous season, the Bucks won on three occasions, while the Nets won just once. Previously, we saw them in the East semis, when Bucks won in seven and advanced to the next stage, eventually winning the championship.

Prediction

The Bucks are the absolute favorites, and the hosts should win this one without problems. Durant and Irving don’t have good chemistry, and they aren’t very happy in Brooklyn, as we already saw during the offseason. The spread on the hosts is -3.5 points and Milwaukee has the power to cover that and win.

Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -3.5 points