NBA 2021/22 on Saturday, 08.01.2022
It’s the most exciting game of the week, which many fans already thought would be the early NBA Finals last year! We are talking about the clash between the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks!
Of course, such a game deserves an NBA tip! By the way, this one predicts a win for the home side! Because while the New Yorkers just celebrated a significant season premiere, the visitors are threatened by the absence of by far the most important man…
A mere look at the results of a team’s last duels always provides only an incomplete picture. After all, you don’t know which formation a team was in and which key players may have been missing due to injury.
Therefore, the three losses from the last four games of the Nets without additional information could at first glance give the impression that the top favourite for the NBA Finals is currently in a slump.
But the last victory over the Pacers rather points to the beginning of a new winning streak! Because for the first time this season, New York’s Big Three were on the floor together again.
35 games after the start of the season, the time had finally come: hardcore vaccination holdout Kyrie Irving was allowed back on the parquet after a month-long absence! It was thanks to his improved performance in the last quarter that the Nets won a game that might have been lost again without him.
Players like Irving have the experience and the necessary talent to outscore a capable team like the Pacers by 15 points in the final quarter! With him, the Nets are now in a better position than ever before this season.
Of course, the top game against the Bucks comes at just the right time for the New Yorkers. Milwaukee has already seen better days. Although the Green and Whites have won six games in a row, two losses and further “complications” have followed.
Let’s start with the defeats: A 106:115 against the game-weak Pistons, followed by another avoidable 111:117 defeat against the Raptors. What explains this sudden drop in performance from the champions?
In a nutshell: NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was officially out of yesterday’s game against Toronto due to a “non-covid-related illness”. As a result, the Green and Whites lacked the points from half court against the Canadians on which they can normally rely blindly.
Whether the Greek will return against Brooklyn is still written in the stars, but my guess is: if so, he is not at 100%. However, The Greek Freek will have to be fully serviceable if he wants to hold his own against these Nets!
NBA aficionados will know that last season the Bucks beat the favoured New Yorkers 3-2 in an epic playoff series. In the process, the respective home right was always the basis of their own success.
And indeed, the mere fact of playing in the Barclay Center could be half the battle for a victory over the reigning NBA champions.
The Bucks have not won any of their last seven visits to the Black and Whites during the regular season.
Incidentally, the two clubs have already met once in the new season. Although Milwaukee won 127:104 on that occasion, albeit under the leadership of Giannis Antetokounmpo, while Kyrie Irving was missing on the opposite side – this time it is probably the other way round.
According to these, a New York win is considered more likely with betting odds of around 1.50! Providers like Bet365, on the other hand, are currently trading a win for the NBA champions at slightly higher odds of 2.70!
Conclusion: The loss of Giannis Antetokounmpo has not yet been 100% confirmed. But in yesterday’s loss to the Raptors, the Greek was already unable to play due to a non-Covid-related illness.
On the other hand, the Nets have a memorable moment behind them, because against the Pacers the Big Three, consisting of Durant, Harden and Irving, were on the floor for the first time. The result? A deserved victory after a strong final phase!
The home side seems to have the upper hand in terms of personnel and home advantage could also pave the way to victory. The New Yorkers have not lost any of their last seven meetings against the Green-Whites in front of their home crowd – at least not during the regular season!
My Nets Bucks tip is therefore: New York win!
