Eastern Conference elites Brooklyn and Milwaukee meet again on Tuesday night at the Fiserv Forum.
The Bucks defeated the Nets 117-114 on Sunday behind a monster effort by Giannis Antetokounmpo. With the win, the Bucks managed to cut one game off the Nets’ lead in the team standings. As of Tuesday, the Nets are just 2.5 games ahead of the Bucks which makes this game important for both squads.
The Nets have dropped back-to-back games and have fallen to 43-22 on the season, one game behind the Philadelphia 76ers for the best record in the Western Conference. The Nets are 6-4 in their last 10 games played and head to this game after losing to the Milwaukee Bucks the last time out.
Kevin Durant scored 42 points and grabbed 10 rebounds on Sunday but missed a game-tying three-pointer at the end of the game. Kyrie Irving also had a big game with 20 points while Landry Shamet added 17 as the Nets played without James Harden for the 14th consecutive game due to a hamstring injury.
Brooklyn is the second highest-scoring team in the NBA at 118.7 points per game scored. The Nets are 8th in the league in passing at 26.7 assists per game and are 14th in rebounding at 44.5 boards grabbed per contest. However, Brooklyn has the 5th worst scoring defense at 115.2 points per game allowed.
The Bucks have won five out of their last seven games played, including their last two. Milwaukee is 40-24 on the season and is 2.5 games behind Brooklyn for 2nd place in the East and 3.5 games behind the Sixers for the top spot in the conference. Milwaukee defeated Brooklyn 117-114 on Sunday in their last game played.
Giannis Antetokounmpo poured in 49 points while grabbing 8 rebounds. Fellow All-Star Khris Middleton added 26 points and 11 rebounds as the Bucks made a big statement against the title favorites Nets. Jrue Holiday also chipped in 18 points while Bryn Forbes contributed 12 points for the Bucks.
Milwaukee is the top-scoring team in the league at 119.3 points per game scored. They are 2nd in rebounding at 48.0 boards pulled down per contest and are 11th in passing at 25.5 assists per game. The Bucks have the NBA’s 19th ranked scoring defense at 112.6 points per game conceded.
The Nets are 4-2 SU in their last six games played. Brooklyn is 18-14 SU in 32 road games played this season, 14-6 SU in their last 20 games played against the Eastern Conference, and 5-2 SU in their last seven games played against the Central Division.
The Bucks are 5-2 SU in their last seven games played. Milwaukee is 21-10 in 31 home games played this season, 6-2 SU in their last eight games against the Atlantic Division, and 1-4 SU in their last five May games. Head to head, the Bucks are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played against the Nets.
Giannis is coming off a 49-point effort the last time out and it’s hard to imagine him coming up with the same output. Antetokounmpo however, is averaging 23.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game in his last 10 games while Khris Middleton is shooting 42.7% from deep and scoring 20.4 points per game over the same period.
The Nets will look to KD and Kyrie to carry the bulk of the scoring load but Brooklyn will need their role players to step up. Landry Shamet has averaged 14.5 points per game while making 3.1 three-pointers per game in his last 10 outings.
The Bucks beat the Nets the last time out but Brooklyn lost by just three points even with Giannis going off for 49 points. I don’t expect Giannis to have a similar game here with the Nets adjusting their defense. This should be another close game but I think that Brooklyn gets its revenge here with the right defensive adjustments.
Prediction: Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn is 8-4 ATS in their last 12 games played. The Nets are 16-17 in 33 road games played this season, 44-19-1 ATS in their last 64 Tuesday games, 5-1 ATS in their last six games when playing on one day rest, and 4-1 ATS in their last five games after a straight-up loss.
Milwaukee is 5-2 ATS in their last seven games played. The Bucks are 10-7 ATS in 17 home games against the Eastern Conference, 16-7 in their last 23 Tuesday games, and 4-1 ATS in their last five games when allowing 100 or more points in their previous game. Head to head, the Bucks are 28-11-1 ATS in their last 40 games played against the Nets.
The last three head-to-head meetings between these two teams were decided by a total of seven points so every point counts in this matchup. That said, the Nets will be at a disadvantage because they still won’t have James Harden in this game. However, with KD and Kyrie leading the way, the Nets should be good to go here.
Antetokounmpo scored 49 points the last time out but the Bucks won by just 3 points. Steve Nash should make the right adjustments on defense and this should be another close game. I’ll take the plus points and the Nets in a game where every point matters.
Prediction: Nets +2
The total has gone under in five out of the last seven games played by the Nets. Brooklyn has seen the total go under in 8 out of their last 12 games played on the road. The under is 4-1 in their last five games after an ATS loss, 4-1 in their last five games after a straight-up defeat and 5-1 in their last six road games against an opponent with a winning home records.
The total has gone under in five out of the last six games played by the Bucks. Milwaukee has seen the total go over in 9 out of their last 12 home games. The under is 5-1 in the Bucks’ last six games when their opponent allows 100 or more points in their previous game, and 5-1 in their last six games when they allow more than 100 points in their previous game.
Head to head, the total has gone over in six out of the last nine meetings between these two teams. The over is also 4-1 in their last five games played in Milwaukee.
These are the top two scoring teams in the NBA with the Bucks leading the league at 119.3 points per game while also ranking third in pace at 102.53 and the Nets second in scoring at 118.7 points per game. However, these teams have combined to score over 241.5 points in just half of their last six head-to-head meetings. Brooklyn has also scored 120 or more points only twice in their last six games played and the Bucks have hit 120+ points once in their last five games played. This should be a high-scoring game alright but the total of 241.5 seems to be too high even for the top two scoring teams in the league. These teams combined for 231 points in their last meeting last weekend. Give me these teams to hit the under as the total is too high.
Prediction: Under 241.5
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