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A Milwaukee Bucks–Brooklyn Nets NBA Finals would be a terrific matchup, but instead the two powerhouses have to meet in the Eastern Conference semifinals, with Game 1 on Saturday from Brooklyn. The Nets are short favorites on the NBA odds.

How to Bet Bucks at Nets NBA Odds & TV Info

When: Saturday, 7:30 PM ET
Where: Barclays Center
TV: TNT
Stream: TNT app
Radio:com

Season Series

Bucks won 2-1 but the Nets never had their Big 3 of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving all in the same game. The lone Brooklyn win was at home back on Jan. 18, 125-123. Durant made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 36 seconds left and finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists. James Harden had 34 points and 12 assists in just his second game with Brooklyn. Harden missed the other two Bucks games. Irving was out that first meeting.

Why Bet on Milwaukee? | NBA Betting Analysis

The Bucks are well rested as they haven’t played since finishing a four-game sweep of Miami with a 120-103 road victory on May 29.

Giannis Antetokounmpo dominated the Heat in Game 4 with 20 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds and two blocks. Defensively, he helped limit the Heat to 95.0 points per game in their last three outings.

“We’ve set the tone defensively,” Antetokounmpo said. “We’re keeping guys in front of us.”

Khris Middleton added 20 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two triples for the Bucks, while Brook Lopez feasted with 25 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Pat Connaughton will start in place of the inured Donte DiVincenzo, who will miss the remainder of the postseason with a left foot injury. He was hurt in Game 3. DiVincenzo, 24, had started 66 games during the regular season — averaging career highs of 10.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists — and all three playoff games.

After going to overtime in Game 1 against a Miami team that had upset them in last season’s playoffs, the Bucks had three one-sided wins to bring that series to a quick end. They posted a 95.4 defensive rating through the four games, by far the lowest in the 2021 NBA Playoffs so far.

During the season, the Bucks set a new franchise record by averaging 120.1 points per game this season, leading the league in scoring for the third straight season. They were the highest scoring team the NBA has seen since the 1984-85 season when the Denver Nuggets averaged 120.0 ppg. Giannis shot 78.8 percent on shots from 5 feet or fewer this year, the best percentage among players with at least 500 shots from that area in the NBA Advanced Stats database, which begins in 1996-97.

The Bucks’ two wins over the Nets in the regular season were two of the six times in his career that Antetokounmpo has made four or more 3-pointers. In the first round vs. Miami, Antetokounmpo shot just 5-for-26 (19%) from outside the paint (4-for-10 from mid-range and 1-for-16 from 3-point range).

Why Bet on Brooklyn? | NBA Betting Analysis

The third-seeded Bucks (46-26) finished two games behind the second-seeded Nets (48-24) and that difference will give Brooklyn home court advantage for the series, beginning with Saturday’s Game 1.

The Nets finished off Boston in five on Tuesday, 123-109. Kevin Durant closed with 24 points, four rebounds and three assists. Harden scored 34 points on 10-of-17 shooting (4-of-7 3-pointers) with 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Kyrie Irving scored an efficient 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Irving had his most efficient game of the series on Tuesday, shooting 64.2% from the floor against his former team. The former Celtic finished the series with averages of 24.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists in five games.

Brooklyn averaged 123.4 points per game and put up 128.0 points per 100 possessions against Boston, figures that lead the NBA through the playoffs so far. In the 130 minutes the three stars played together in the series, the Nets had an offensive rating of 136.9 points per 100 possessions. Those 130 minutes are not a far from the total of 202 that Durant, Harden, and Irving played together during the regular season.

With the trio at full strength, this is quite simply one of the most efficient offenses ever. Even with their stars sidelined at varying intervals, Brooklyn’s 117.3 offensive rating in the regular season was the best EVER. ▪ Brooklyn led the league in FG % (.494) for the first time in 2020-21, and posted the second-highest FG % in a season in franchise history.

However, Brooklyn’s defensive rating of 113.1 was among the 10 worst in the league, and there’s a chance every game in this series could wind up with both teams clearing 120 points.

Coach Steve Nash said Thursday that versatile veteran Jeff Green is day-to-day ahead of Game 1. Green has been sidelined since Game 2 of the team’s opening-round playoff series with a strained plantar fascia. Green has started in 38 games for Brooklyn this season. He averaged 11.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game this season and has been a veteran voice in the locker room.

Game Trends

Bucks are 0-8 ATS in their last 8 games as an underdog.
Bucks are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
Bucks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win.
Nets are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 home games.
Nets are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games as a home favorite.
Nets are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall.