Red-Hot Brooklyn Nets Look To Takedown League’s Best | OSB
Red-Hot Brooklyn Nets Look To Takedown League’s Best Milwaukee Bucks
By Sam Batz
For just the second time this season, the Milwaukee Bucks (www.nba.com/bucks) will face-off against the Brooklyn Nets (www.nba.com/nets) in an Eastern Conference showdown. The first meeting between these two ended with Milwaukee taking the win, beating Brookyln 110-99. Milwaukee is the best team in the league with a record of 22-9 and are currently leading the East by half a game. The Nets are fourth in the East with a 20-12 record, 2.5 games behind the conference leaders. It would be a massive shock if either of these teams miss the playoffs come April, meaning tomorrow night’s matchup will have a postseason-like vibe.
The Bucks will look to bounce back after dropping a game to fellow Eastern Conference rivals the Cleveland Cavaliers, while the Nets will try to continue their winning streak and close the gap between them and Milwaukee. Both sides will want the top spot in the East at the end of the year, and winning tomorrow night would be an important step toward reaching that goal.
This game should be a close, hard-fought contest. These are two of the best teams not just in the East, but in the entire league. There are All-Star caliber players up and down both rosters who will look to take over the game and make a lasting impression on their opponent. The current spread has Brooklyn as a -1 point favorite but this one is truly a toss-up. Either side could take the victory and I am excited to see who comes out on top.
Milwaukee’s Prospects (+1 Point Underdog)
Tomorrow’s game against Brooklyn will be the second of a five game road trip for Milwaukee. The Bucks are 8-6 away and are coming off a rough game against Cleveland where they trailed the Cavs through all four quarters and lost 106-114. Giannis Antetokounmpo played well, finishing the game with 42 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists, but he didn’t get much help from his teammates. The Bucks shot 47% from the field and Brook Lopez was the second highest scorer for Milwakuee, with just 14 points. Milwaukee comes into this game as the underdog, which is only the fifth time this season they are not favored to win. The Bucks are 1-3 as the underdog and 3-2 against the spread in their last five games.
Milwaukee can count on their superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, to play well but will need the rest of the team to step-up. Giannis is averaging 31.6 points per game and often draws the double-team because opponents know he is the Bucks best option on offense. They will need players like Jrue Holiday, Bobby Portis, and Grayson Allen to make shots tomorrow night in order to beat the Nets. The Bucks are averaging a middle-of-the-pack 112.9 points per game, but are in the top-four in points allowed, with 108.9. The Nets are a good team but if Milwaukee slows them down with their hard-nosed defense, they have a shot to win the game.
Brooklyn’s Prospects (-1 Point Favorite)
The Nets are currently on a hot-streak, winning their last seven games, and are 9-1 in their last ten. 12x NBA All-Star Kevin Durant leads Brooklyn with 30.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. The 34 year-old Durant still has what it takes to lead his team into the playoffs, even after all of the injuries he has sustained over his career. Durant is averaging 31.6 points over his last five games and is in the running to win his second MVP award. Kyrie Irving is also having a decent season for the Nets, averaging 26.1 points, 4.8 rebound, and 4.5 assists in 22 games played.
The Nets have the talent to run with anyone but a team is only as good as their second unit. The Nets bench will need to have a big game in order to keep up with the Bucks. As a team, Brooklyn is averaging 114.0 points per game and allowing 111.5 to their opponents. The Nets are shooting a league-leading 50.8% from the field and have the third best 3-point shooting percentage at 38.3%. The Nets will rely on their top-tier offense in order to beat the Bucks tomorrow night. They are 11-5 in their home stadium and 16-6 as the favorite.
In a tough to predict, offense vs. defense matchup, I like the Bucks here. Milwaukee travels well and will not want to drop two-games in a row to Eastern Conference opponents. The Nets have won seven games in a row, but all of them were against easy opponents. Brooklyn is coming off a rout against the Warriors, but Golden State was without Curry and Wiggins. Kyrie Irving has been listed as day-to-day and could miss the game against Milwaukee. If he does, the Bucks chances will certainly improve. The Nets have been tough to beat at home but Milwaukee will be motivated to prove they are the best in the East after dropping a game to Cleveland. I predict the Bucks will beat the Nets 115-110, and remain the best team in the league.
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