The Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks will face off for the first time this season in Milwaukee on Wednesday night. The Bucks opened as 3.5-point home favorites with a total of 233.5. The line has bounced from 3.5 – 4.0 and the total has dipped to 232.
The Nets are coming off a 1 day rest, while the Bucks last played on Saturday. It looks like both are fully healthy with the exception of Khris Middleton for the Bucks who has been out since April 10th of last season.
Let’s dive deeper into our Nets-Bucks prediction and odds. Bettors should head to DraftKings sportsbook to tail the following Nets-Bucks odds.
Best Nets-Bucks Predictions and Odds
Nets Off to a Slow Start
The Nets on paper look to be NBA Championship contenders, but titles are won on the court and the turmoil this team continues to have is a huge factor in determining how to bet. They started off getting blown out at home by New Orleans 130-108, but were able to get back a win vs. the Raptors 109-105, before losing again at Memphis 134-124.
The biggest concern is the defense which has allowed 130 points in 2 out of 3 games and now faces the Bucks at home. This points to a lack of motivation and concentration on the court, or perhaps this teams’ chemistry is just cooked. Whatever the reason is, I think until we see them turn it around over a period of time, you have to approach them with extreme caution unless they start to become significant underdogs or very small favorites against the bottom teams in the NBA.
Bucks Defense #1 So Far
The Bucks defensive rating is #1, albeit with just 2 games under their belts with a home win vs. the 76ers 90-88, and a road win in Houston 125-105. Even with a small sample, we know this is top defensive unit in the NBA, which can not be said for the Nets right now who are dead last.
Much like the Suns (who I wrote up yesterday for a win and the OVER), the Bucks are on a bit of a redemption tour this season because they came up short last year after losing to the Celtics in the playoffs. Giannis Antetokounmpo is on a mission to get another ring and MVP award.
Final Nets-Bucks Odds & Pick
This game is a lot like the Suns-Warriors game in that we have a top NBA team at home with rest, but only -3.5 points. The public still believes in the Nets which is probably impacting this line by at least 2-3 points.
The difference is the Nets are in much worse shape than the Warriors and I think the Bucks smell blood in the water. I am careful when leaning on historical data in the NBA because you have to understand the context of each team. But in this case, we have significant data on the side of the Bucks and the UNDER in this series.
Nets-Bucks Prediction: Bucks -3.5 (DraftKings -110); UNDER 232 (DraftKings -110)
