Can the struggling Brooklyn Nets upset the road-weary Milwaukee Bucks? Unpacking key matchups and betting trends to find an edge in this intriguing Eastern Conference clash is not as easy as it might look.
The Brooklyn Nets, despite being home in Brooklyn after losing on the road to the Dallas Mavericks Friday night, are +1.5 home underdogs against the Bucks.
Milwaukee will attempt to halt a six-game road losing streak at Barclays Center on Sunday night.
The over/under is 218.5 points - as per BetMGM Sportsbook - for the 6:00 p.m. (ET) tip-off.
The Nets, for all the NBA bettors uneducated on one of the league’s most exhilarating, yet worst teams, are 2-10 at home with both of those wins coming earlier this month.
The Sunday visit by the Bucks starts a three-game home stand for the Nets, who don’t win often, no matter where they play.
Brooklyn (6-18), 13th in the Eastern Conference, and ahead of only the Pacers and Wizards, is coming off another tough loss: a 119-111 setback to the Mavericks in which the Nets, customary of a young team still trying to etch a true identity, collapsed in the fourth quarter.
The Nets, who couldn’t hit anything or rebound down the stretch in Dallas, went 2-for-9 in the final 12 minutes and 6-for-21 overall from beyond the arc.
Brooklyn has won just five of 23 games — 21.7 % - in which they’ve gone off as underdogs.
The Bucks, 3-7 in their last 10 games, are 12-14 against the spread this season and have lost six straight road games.
Milwaukee, 3-8 overall on the road, defeated Brooklyn 116-99 in late-November.
Michael Porter Jr., on the verge of becoming a legit NBA star, leads the Nets with 26.3 points per game.
MPJ is also a big reason why 16 of the Nets 24 games - to date - have gone over 218.5 points.
What seemed like positive reinforcement just a couple of weeks ago despite the Nets residing in the bottom of the Eastern Conference, has become a constant theme as Brooklyn, still very young and a lot of times playing as individual parts, just can’t put a complete game together.
The most recent example exhibited in Dallas just two nights ago. That said, don’t be surprised to see the Nets, once again, hang around; this time vs. the Bucks, who don’t have a terribly imposing presence in their front-court, while Brooklyn counters with Nic Claxton (7.8 rebounds, 1.4 blocked shots per game) and his cohorts.
Milwaukee is also headed in the wrong direction. The short point spread definitely reflects that.
(Please check your favorite sportsbook for updated NBA odds and information. And as always, bet responsibly and on a set budget. Should you, or anyone you know, encounter a gambling problem call 1-800-GAMBLER.)
Fernie Ruano, who is a sports analyst and content creator in Miami, FL, contributed to this story.