The Milwaukee Bucks are set to host the Brooklyn Nets this Friday for the third meeting between these two Eastern Conference squads. Will the Bucks extend their win streak at the expense of Brooklyn? Or, will the Nets pull off a big upset on the road to stop their bleeding?
Catch this game live on Friday, December 27, 2024 at 9:00 AM, Manila time
Away: Brooklyn Nets (11-18, 6-10 Away)
Projected Starting Five:
- Ben Simmons (Questionable)
- Cameron Johnson
- Keon Johnson
- Noah Clowney
- Nic Claxton
The Nets have three three-game losing skid already this 2024-25 NBA season, and they surely have no plans of suffering another one of those winless streaks. They can prevent that from happening again this Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. For what it’s worth, the Nets won their most recent game in that Milwaukee arena, as they defeated the Bucks there on Oct. 28, 115-102.
However, their top two scorers in that contest are not available for Brooklyn this time around. Cam Thomas, who scored 32 points then is out with a hamstring injury, while Dennis Schroder (29 points) is now with the Golden State Warriors. But with a bigger role of late, Noah Clowney will look to make a bigger difference. He led the Nets with 19 points in their last game, a 110-95 loss in South Beach to the Miami Heat on Tuesday.
The Nets are 3-1 against the spread in their last four visits to Milwaukee, dating back to 2022.
Home: Milwaukee Bucks (14-13, 9-5 Home)
Projected Starting Five:
- Damian Lillard (Questionable)
- Khris Middleton (Probable)
- Andre Jackson Jr.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Questionable)
- Brook Lopez
Milwaukee is moving in the complete opposite direction of the Nets. The Bucks are on a two-game win streak after beating the Washington Wizards (112-101) at home last Sunday and the Chicago Bulls (112-91) in Windy City on Tuesday. The Bucks must feel good about their chances of beating the Nets, who are still adjusting to life without Schroder. That’s not to mention the confirmed absence of Thomas. When the Bucks got their revenge against Brooklyn on the road on Dec. 9, Schroder led the Nets with 34 points.
All that being said, the Bucks could be without their stars, too, as Giannis Antetokoumpo and Damian Lillard have missed Milwaukee’s last two and three games, respectively. They are both listed as questionable for Friday’s Nets game, but the Bucks can still be expected to be highly competitive, given the fact that they won their last two assignments without either star. Bobby Portis has averaged 26.5 points and Brook Lopez has produced 17.5 points in the last two Bucks outings, during which Milwaukee has gone 2-0 ATS.
Picks
Spread: Milwaukee Bucks (-10.5)
Over/Under: Under (213.0)
