Bucks vs Nets Odds, Spread and Predictions

• The Bucks visit Kevin Durant and the Nets on Friday night
• Milwaukee has won three straight regular-season games against Brooklyn
• Find the odds, preview, and best bet below

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks will be looking to continue their hot streak against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday evening at the Barclays Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30pm ET.

Milwaukee was beaten by the Raptors on Wednesday night, but the Greek Freak was sidelined due to a non-COVID-19 illness. He will be back for this contest, though, and it should be a great matchup on the New York sports betting scene.

As for the Nets, they broke out of a three-game losing skid with a comeback win against the Indiana Pacers, with Kyrie Irving dropping 22 points in his season debut. However, he won’t be playing here due to the vaccine mandates in New York City.

Bucks vs Nets Odds

Odds as of January 6th at FanDuel.

The Nets are a 3.5-point favorite on Friday but they’ve lost three consecutive to the Bucks in regular-season action, with Giannis and Co. taking them down on opening night in October. Brooklyn is also just 10-20 as an ATS favorite, but Milwaukee isn’t much better as an ATS underdog, going 2-7 this season.

More COVID Problems For Bucks

As they were seemingly getting back to full strength, Milwaukee has been hit with another wave of COVID-19. Jrue Holiday entered protocols on Thursday, joining Pat Connaughton, Grayson Allen, and George Hill.

On top of that, Donte DiVincenzo re-injured his ankle and is also on the shelf again. The Bucks have hit a small cold spell as well after winning six straight, losing two in a row to a lowly Pistons team, and most recently, the Raptors.

Bucks guard Jrue Holiday has entered health and safety protocols and is listed out vs. Brooklyn on Friday.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 6, 2022

The absence of Giannis was severely felt for Mike Budenholzer’s squad, who was unavailable too because of the virus. It wasn’t exactly an awful performance from the rotation, with Khris Middleton’s 25 points among six players ending the game in double-digits. The Bucks shot 44% from downtown and 45% overall, but the third quarter was the clear difference-maker.

Milwaukee was outscored 24-11 in that period, with the Raptors clawing back in a hurry. In fact, the defending NBA champions scored 77 points in the first half but really slowed down in the final two quarters, pouring in a mere 34.

With Holiday out against Brooklyn, their playmaking and backcourt defense will definitely take a hit. Giannis and Middleton will need to step up heavily in more ways than one in order to stop a solid Nets offense, led by KD.

Nets Back on Track

It wasn’t pretty, but Brooklyn was able to finally get back in the win column on Wednesday night. Steve Nash’s group trailed for most of the contest but managed to make a second-half comeback sparked by Kevin Durant’s 39 points and Irving’s 22.

The Nets outscored the Pacers by 21 points in the last two periods, handing Indiana their sixth straight defeat.

Brooklyn shot a dismal 24% from deep in this contest but they were sharp from the field, draining 57% of their attempts. The rotation also did a tremendous job of capitalizing from the charity stripe, shooting 90%. James Harden was the leading catalyst in that category, going 8-for-10.

The return of Kyrie was refreshing and definitely proved to be valuable. He honestly looked like he hadn’t missed a beat, absolutely carving up the Indiana defense. Irving was lights out from mid-range and attacked the paint at will, blazing by his opponent and finishing with style at the cup. Unfortunately, he won’t be playing in Brooklyn on Friday.

Bucks vs Nets Prediction

Although the Bucks do have Brooklyn’s number lately, including in last season’s playoffs, I do like the Nets here. Milwaukee has far too many players out that are rather important, especially Holiday.

Considering their record as an ATS underdog as well, it’s a no-brainer to ride the home team here to cover the slim spread.

Pick: Nets -3.5 (-108)

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