The Milwaukee Bucks (47-28) and Brooklyn Nets (40-36) will square off Thursday night in a pivotal Eastern Conference matchup. Tip-off from Barclays Center will be at 7:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Bucks vs. Nets odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
The Bucks are second in the East, one game back of the Miami Heat for the No. 1 seed. They’ve won 7 of their last 10 games to pull closer to the Heat and they have a chance to overtake Miami in the final two weeks. In their last game, the Bucks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 118-116 Tuesday, thanks to a game-saving block by F Giannis Antetokounmpo in the waning seconds.
The Nets will have PG Kyrie Irving on the floor for the third time at home this season after local vaccination restrictions were lifted. They split Irving’s first two home games, losing to the Charlotte Hornets and beating the Chicago Bulls. The Nets are 7-3 in their last 10 games and are eighth in the East. They can avoid the play-in tournament if they can catch the Raptors for the sixth seed, but trail Toronto by 4 games.
Bucks at Nets odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:01 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Bucks +102 (bet $100 to win $102) | Nets -125 (bet $125 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Bucks +1.5 (-110) | Nets -1.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 242.5 (O: -115 | U: -107)
Bucks at Nets key injuries
Bucks
- F Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) probable
- SG Deandre’ Bembry (knee) out
Nets
- PG Ben Simmons (back) out
- SG Joe Harris (ankle) out
[tipico]
Bucks at Nets odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Bucks 125, Nets 120
Money line
The Bucks are 2-1 in the last three meetings between these teams and have won 4 of their last 5 against the Nets, including the last two played in Brooklyn.
Assuming Antetokounmpo plays, as he’s expected to, I really like the BUCKS (+102) in this matchup. The Nets are only 17-20 at home this season and even though they have Irving back, they failed to beat the Hornets at home with him two games ago.
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Against the spread
It’s not a bad idea to take the 1.5 points with the Bucks, but you might as well take the money line and bet them to win outright. While this could be a close game, I’d rather take the added benefit of getting the Bucks at plus money to win outright. PASS.
Over/Under
The Nets defense ranks 19th in the league in points allowed and the Bucks are barely better, ranking 16th in scoring defense. With superstars on both teams and with this expected to be a close game, I think these teams will trade buckets for 48 minutes and push the total OVER 242.5 (-115).
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