The defending NBA champs against a team many believe will win the title this season headlines ESPN’s Friday doubleheader. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks had their six-game winning streak stopped by Detroit of all teams on Monday night while the Nets lost their third straight on the same day. The teams will meet for the first time since opening night when the Bucks posted a 127-104 payout victory. Giannis dropped 32 points with 14 boards in that one. Both teams are near the top of the Eastern Conference standings behind only the surprising Chicago Bulls.
The contest between the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets takes place at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, January 7, 2022, from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY and will air live on ESPN. BookMaker.eu will have odds for every game on the Friday NBA schedule.
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Odds Analysis
The Bucks won the final two games of last season’s Eastern Conference semifinal, including the decisive Game 7 in Brooklyn, on their way to the first championship in 50 years. And both teams are expected to be in the hunt again come May. Experiencing a championship hangover the Bucks struggled at the start of the season going 6-8 through 14 games. They rattled off eight straight wins after that and were 19-5 SU before Monday’s loss to the Pistons. They’ve won their last three road games and are 12-8 SU and 11-9 ATS overall on the road this season. They are playing in Brooklyn for the first time since their dramatic 115-111 overtime win in Game 7 of the conference semifinals.
The inability of the Nets to win consistently at home is troubling. A team that many view as an O’Brien Trophy contender should at least protect its home court, right? While the Nets have been the best in the Eastern Conference on the road winning 13 of their first 16 roadies, they’ve struggled inside Barclays Center. They lost all three games of a recent homestand to Philadelphia, the Clippers and Memphis and have dropped four in a row overall going 0-4 ATS. Even the wins have been close. Six of their home victories have been by single digits with four of them by five points or less. The Nets are just 10-9 SU and 4-14-1 ATS at home this season.
Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee’s big three doesn’t get the notoriety of others around the league and doesn’t come close to getting the attention Brooklyn’s trio receives. But Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday are back after leading the Bucks to the NBA title last season. The three all average over 18 points with the former MVP leading the way with 27.9 points per game and 11.5 rebounds. During their recent six-game winning streak the Bucks scored at least 117 points five times while averaging 124 points.
Monday’s loss was just the third for the Bucks with all three players in the lineup. And the theme was evident. After scoring a bunch of points and winning games, the Bucks tallied 106 and lost. They are one of the top offensive teams in the league averaging over 112 points and when they score they usually win.
Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn’s big three may be coming together soon. Kyrie Irving has rejoined the team and could be available this week. However, his vaccination status against COVID leaves him ineligible to play home games due to a local mandate. If Irving does return as a road player he will take some of the load off Kevin Durant and James Harden. Through last week’s games both players were averaging over 36 minutes while combining to score over 52 points per game.
The addition of Irving will certainly help the Nets moving forward, but according to Harden it won’t solve their current issues. “It definitely gives us a spark. We can’t wait to have him back, but we have to do things that are necessary like I keep saying,” Harden said. Winning a home game would be a start. The Nets have dropped four in a row inside Barclays Center when they were favored by at least five points in each one.
NBA Odds Pick
The Nets were hit hard by the virus but have started to get players back in the lineup. That still didn’t prevent a recent slide that saw them lose all three games of a recent homestand. It’s hard to imagine that will continue even though Irving is prohibited from playing. Still, his presence will make the Nets a better team and I like KD and Harden to outduel Giannis and Co. in a high scoring affair.
NBA Odds Prediction: Nets 117, Bucks 113
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