An early season battle of Eastern Conference contenders takes place on Wednesday when the Brooklyn Nets visit the Milwaukee Bucks on ESPN. It was a miserable last season for the Nets, who were pegged by some as the favorite to win the NBA title. That obviously didn’t work out and the club barely reached the play-in tournament before getting swept in the first round.
If the Nets can avoid the drama that followed them last year and into the offseason they could be pretty good. They have Ben Simmons in the lineup along with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to form a formidable trio, though it may take time to build chemistry.
Nets vs Bucks – Date, Time, Where To Watch
Wednesday’s game will air live on ESPN with tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI. BookMaker.eu will have betting options for every game on the NBA schedule.
Nets vs Bucks Odds
Brooklyn Nets (Check Back Later)
Milwaukee Bucks (Check Back Later)
Total (Check Back Later)
Season to Date
The early season returns are mixed with the Nets losing two of three games ahead of their matchup with the Bucks. A good sign is that Simmons has played all three, but his game has been spotty. I guess that’s to be expected after missing all of last season. His best game of the season came in a win over Toronto with six points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Those are numbers we should expect with KD and Kyrie handling a bulk of the scoring. Right now it’s about defense and the Nets have shown little on that end of the floor. Memphis shot 50 percent from the floor and hit seven more triples handing the Nets a 134-124 loss on Monday. It’s the second time in three games Brooklyn allowed at least 130 points. They failed to cover both times while cashing the OVER.
You don’t always see teams get three days off between games this early in the season and you wonder how it will affect the Bucks. They got off to a good start winning in Philadelphia as a 4.5-point dog then hammered Houston a few days later 125-105 covering the 13-point line in their home opener. A number of players from the NBA championship team are back making the Bucks a threat in the East. And as long as Giannis Antetokounmpo is around they’ll be a tough out. Giannis scored 44 points on 17 of 21 shooting in three quarters in the rout of the Rockets.
Brooklyn Nets
Since five players are on the court for a team at one time it’s hard to win with only three. The three the Nets have are decent, but one thing that hurt them last season when they finished 44-38 was depth. Part of that issue will be resolved with Joe Harris back in the mix. It’s been a while since Harris played and the Nets missed his secondary scoring and ability to spread the defense with his 3-point shooting.
After a lengthy absence Harris returned to score three points against Toronto and followed with eight points in the loss to the Griz. It’s going to take time for Harris and Simmons to acclimate back to the pressures of playing game situations and the Nets should benefit from it as the season progresses. In the meantime we’ll get the usual production from Durant and Irving, who each scored 37 in Memphis to help the Nets cash the OVER for the second time in three games.
Milwaukee Bucks
Opening the season with two key players on the shelf isn’t ideal, however the Bucks made the most of it by winning twice. They are also in the midst of a key stretch of games with Wednesday’s the second of six straight at home. The Bucks have one of the best home records under Mike Budenholzer and won 66 percent of their games at Fiserv Forum last season, though they were just 17-30 ATS in all home games. While the Nets will likely be better later in the season the same can be said about the Bucks. They will be without second leading scorer Khris Middleton and top reserve Pat Connaughton at least until the middle of November.
There is enough to make up the difference, though. Giannis went off against Houston and the Bucks shot 56 percent from the field making 16 of 31 triples. That’s the style of game we’ve become accustomed to see from the Bucks, who constantly push the pace. It doesn’t always work out and the Bucks have shown they can play defense when the points aren’t there. It’s early but the Bucks boast the No. 1 scoring defense and field goal percentage defense.
Nets vs Bucks Prediction
Since the last two games of the 2021 playoff series the Bucks have dominated Brooklyn. They won those two, including Game 7 on the road, and are 7-2 SU and 6-3 ATS in the last nine matchups. Milwaukee might be rusty early on after a break, but the Bucks have Giannis and the Nets don’t, making all the difference in the world.
Prediction: Milwaukee Bucks and UNDER
