- The Brooklyn Nets will look to win one on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks.
- The Nets will be without James Harden for at least Game 3, if not longer.
- It didn’t seem to matter in Game 2, in which the Nets crushed the Bucks.
MILWAUKEE - The Brooklyn Nets obliterated the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 without James Harden - a bad sign for the Bucks.
Still, that was an away game, and while it’s tough to accept losing games when Harden isn’t playing, the Bucks are at home now.
The Bucks are a stellar home team, with a record of 28-10 at home over the course of the regular season and playoffs so far.
The Nets, meanwhile, genuinely do seem to struggle a bit on the road, with a 21-17 road record including the first round.
In other words, this is Milwaukee’s chance to make the series a series - to hold serve and win their home games, as any real contender should.
Of course, this is Brooklyn’s chance to slam the door closed, and take a nigh-insurmountable 3-0 lead.
On the road without Harden - who is out for Game 3 - the odds are against them.
Brooklyn Nets vs. Milwaukee Bucks Game 3 Moneyline
- Brooklyn Nets +125
- Milwaukee Bucks -145
There are a lot of reasons to believe that the Bucks will win this game, from their home record to the Nets’ road underperformance to the absence of Harden and the belief that even if they are outclassed, surely they’ll manage to win one of these games.
The problem is that the Bucks have seemed to be outclassed notably in their previous two matchups against the Nets, and have been unable to solve the problems the Nets present.
In addition, it’s worth considering that Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer has something of a reputation for trusting his system instead of making adjustments.
When all of this is taken into account, it’s much harder for sports bettors to decide which side of this wager to come down on.
Brooklyn Nets vs. Milwaukee Bucks Game 3 Spread
- Brooklyn Nets +3.5 (-115)
- Milwaukee Bucks -3.5 (-105)
After Game 2’s beatdown, it’s a bit weird to see the Bucks favored by 3.5 points on the spread, even with some shading the other way.
The line doesn’t appear to have moved much since opening at Bucks -3.5, with some occasional fluctuations to Bucks -4.0 and Bucks -3.0.
Brooklyn Nets vs. Milwaukee Bucks Series Odds
- Brooklyn Nets -550
- Milwaukee Bucks +375
Of course, even if the Bucks do manage to hold serve and win not just this game, but their next home game as well, they’ll still be locked onto an early exit from the playoffs if they can’t beat Brooklyn at home.
It seems like a very tall order for the Bucks to make it out of this series alive, and if they lose Thursday’s game, it gets much harder.
NBA betting fans should be aware of the potential implications of going down 3-0 - no team has ever won a playoff series after being down 3-0.
Game 3 between the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks kicks off at 7:30 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN.