NBA Playoff Betting June 15, 2021 – Milwaukee Bucks at Brooklyn Nets

This isn’t quite what the Brooklyn Nets envisioned when they swung a deal for James Harden back in January. They immediately became a favorite to win the NBA title with Harden joining Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to form the Big Three. It’s been the big two for all but 43 seconds of the Eastern Conference semifinal with the Milwaukee Bucks. And now for the pivotal Game 5 on Tuesday it’s the big uno. With Harden and Irving ruled out the Nets opened as an underdog for the first time in the playoffs catching 2-points on the opening line. Behind two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks seized control of the series winning the last two games and have a great opportunity to move a step closer to the conference final.

Milwaukee Bucks at Brooklyn Nets
Date and Time: Tuesday, June 15, 2021, 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Opening NBA Odds: Milwaukee -2, O/U 220
Bucks at Nets TV Coverage: TNT

Wednesday's odds already up: Hawks +6.5 76ers - Clippers +2.5 Jazz

Odds Analysis

There has been plenty of movement on the spread and total in the short time since the numbers hit the board. Minus two key performers the Nets opened as a 2-point dog and that number was quickly wagered to -3. Only a handful of times during the regular season did the Nets play with Durant, Harden and Irving on the floor at the same time yet they still won 48 games and claimed the No. 2 seed in the conference. They are much more than just those three players and shouldn’t be written off so quickly. Plus, they’ve been good at home winning and covering in all five playoff games while going 8-0 SU and ATS dating back to the regular season. One thing the Nets have done in this series is play sterling defense. They limited the highest scoring team during the regular season to an average of 96.5 points through four games with the UNDER going 4-0 in those games.

Milwaukee Bucks

One thing the Bucks can’t do is get overconfident. They won the last two games to even the series at 2-2 and won’t have to face two of the top players in the league on Tuesday night. But they are still struggling to consistently score the basketball. They have yet to score more than 107 points in the series and their 96.5 points per game average is nearly 24 points below what they managed during the regular year. They are getting consistent play from Antetokounmpo, who scored 34 points in the 107-96 Game 4 win that leveled the series. He reached the 30-point mark in three of the four games and is averaging 29.8 points on 54.8 percent shooting.

An encouraging sign on Sunday was the amount of help he got from his teammates. Four other players reached double figures with Khris Middleton getting 19 points. And the three-point shot reappeared with the Bucks knocking down 16 of 47 attempts from behind the arc on Sunday. They were just 20 of 88 combined in the first three games. They’ve played stingy defense holding the Nets to under 100 points in consecutive games with P.J. Tucker doing a masterful job on Durant.

Brooklyn Nets

It’s not an ideal scenario for the Nets with Harden and Irving both ruled out for Game 5. But it’s not like they haven’t played without their Big Three before. The trio played together just eight times during the regular season after Harden was acquired. They did show off in the first round against Boston, though, with their four wins coming by double figures. “We’ve had an adverse season. A lot of things have happened, we remained positive and that’s what got us through the season, so we have to have that same mentality here and find a way to solve some puzzles and persevere,” Steve Nash said.

The scoring load will fall on Durant’s shoulders, but he’ll need some help. KD scored 28 on Sunday and is averaging nearly 30 points in the series. He hit just 9 of 25 shots, though, in Game 5 with the point total his lowest in the series. Irving was the only other player to reach double figures with 11 and he was done by halftime. “In the fifth game of a series, it’s just like, ‘alright, let’s go play.’ So, I think we all have that mentality and go forward and hoop,” Durant said.

Bet Bucks at Nets at BookMaker.eu

It’s premature to give the Bucks a win in this game. Sure, they have momentum after winning the last two games and the Nets are without two of the top performers. Brooklyn overcame a big deficit in Game 4 and had the lead late until being outscored 6-0 down the stretch. And Durant will get help from Joe Harris and Blake Griffin to pull off a big win.

NBA Score Prediction: Nets 115, Bucks 109

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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com

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