Game Time: 7:30 PM ET, Friday, January 7th, 2022 

Venue:  Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Spread: NL

BetMGM:  Spread:  NL

VegasInsider:  Spread: NL

WynnBet: Spread: NL

Bucks: 25-15, 3rd place Eastern Conference

Nets: 24-12, 2nd place Eastern Conference

An Eastern Conference heavyweight matchup.  These are two opponents destined for the playoffs and most likely destined to face each other when there. What happens here will be referenced for the rest of the season.  It will be picked apart… who’s better?.. Can Kevin Durant overcome the physicality of Giannis?  Can the Bucks’ Jrue Holiday stop James Harden?... Will Kyrie Irving play in home games or just in Milwaukee?  Which one of these teams will knock out the Chicago Bulls earlier than they expect in the playoffs?

The Milwaukee Bucks just lost to the Toronto Raptors 117-111.  It was a loss against the spread as Milwaukee was obviously favored… and it was an Over.  SF Giannis Antetokounmpo hit the ”illness” list.  The Bucks without Giannis Antetokounmpo is like the Rolling Stones without Mick Jagger.  It’s like Coca Cola without carbonation.  It is the reason the Bucks have to worry about Giannis ever becoming a free agent.  The Bucks have won 6 of their last ten games.  The last two games were embarrassing losses to the lowly Toronto Raptors and the much lower (than everyone in the league) Detroit Pistons.  The Bucks desperately need Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday to prove they can win the occasional game without Giannis.  To start… it is an odd decision to start Bobby Portis at Center when DeMarcus Cousins is waiting and available on the bench.  Portis is a great option for wrecking another team’s second unit… not so much as the Center on the starting unit.  Plus the last two games they have had Wesley Mathews at SF… That is a huge mistake.  You can not slide everyone over a position when you are missing the star… it leads to mismatches at every position.  It is also very telling that before the last two losses the Bucks were on a six-game winning streak with Giannis in the lineup.

The Brooklyn Nets just had a coming out party for Kyrie Irving!  Wow… the team waited patiently to see if their star player would eventually be convinced to get vaccinated, but Kyrie is a man of character… if he believes something… he will stick with it!  For reference Kyrie believes the world is flat and that your elderly mother has had enough time in that flat world.  Plus wouldn’t the pandemic be better if it lasted forever?.. C’mon, Kyrie loves it… or doesn’t believe it… or… ohhh look at that shiny thing!!  Anyway, Kyrie is back but just for home games.  He looked great in his first game back against the Indiana Pacers… 22 pts with 10 straight points in the crucial 4th quarter.  There was much cheering for the #2 team in the Eastern Conference beating the injury riddled #13 team in the Eastern Conference.  The Nets are also winners of 6 of their last ten games, but 4-6 ATS over that run.  Kyrie won’t be in this game because he can’t play in Brooklyn until either restrictions are lifted or he gets the jab.  Still the Nets have a huge advantage against the Bucks without Giannis.

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The Bucks are 25-15 on the season, but 18-22 ATS.  They have logged 18 Overs and 22 Unders.  They are 12-8 in road games

The Nets are 24-12 on the season, but 15-21 ATS.   They have notched 17 Overs and 19 Unders.  They are 10-9 in home games.  An odd home game record considering they are 14-3 on the road?... and now Kyrie will play in road games, but not home games.  They could end the season as the best road team of all time and below .500 at home… while still retaining their top three in the East ranking.  Strange days.

The Bucks are 4th in points with 112.1 per game, 3rd in rebounds with 47 per game, and 19th in AST/TO ratio with 1.6.  They are shooting 15th in FG% and 8th in 3PT%... a sore spot is that they are 20th in FT%.

Our prediction for Friday, January 6th is…. Nets 118 - Bucks 113

The Nets will cruise to a win over the Bucks without Giannis.  Most teams can beat the Bucks without Giannis as evidenced by detroit.

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Brooklyn is 4-2 ATS versus Milwaukee at Brooklyn over the last 3 seasons.

3 of 5 games in that series went Under.

The Bucks are 4-0 ATS after playing 3 consecutive home games this season.

Brooklyn is 4-14 ATS in home games this season.

Bucks: SF Giannis Antetokounmpo (covid) Out ** SG Dante DiVincenzo (ankle) Out ** C Brook Lopez (back) Out Indefinitely ** PG George Hill (covid) Out

Nets:  PG Kyrie Irving (perfectly healthy) Out ** SG Joe Harris (ankle) Out, expected back late January.

Bucks: PF Khris Middleton, SF Wesley Matthews, C Bobby Portis, SG Jordan Nwora, PG Jrue Holiday

Nets: SF David Duke Jr (normally a PG), PF Kevin Durant, C Nic Claxton, PG Patty Mills, SG James Harden

Bucks

Points: Giannis Antetokounmpo 27.9

Assists: Jrue Holiday 6.7

Rebounds: Giannis Antetokounmpo 11.5

Steals: Jrue Holiday 1.6

Blocks: Brook Lopez 3.0

Bucks: Mike Budenholzer

Nets: Steve Nash