The Brooklyn Nets took Game 1 in dominant fashion. Will the Milwaukee Bucks bounce right back and even the series up before both teams travel to Fiserv Forum for Games 3 and 4? Check out our preview of Game 2 between the Bucks and Nets below.
The Bucks tasted their first defeat of this postseason on Saturday night, losing Game 1 of their series against the Brooklyn Nets on the road, 115-107. The Bucks looked rusty. They shot just 44.6 percent from the field and were a horrendous 6 of 30 from behind the arc. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points on 16-of-24 shooting from the field to lead the Bucks, but his co-stars kept on firing blanks. Khris Middleton had 13 points (6-23 FG) while Jrue Holiday finished with 17 points (7-19 FG). It could just be a case of too much rest for the Bucks who swept the Miami Heat in the first round. The Bucks still managed to dominate the glass against Brooklyn and launched more shots. The shots should eventually fall for the Bucks who lead all teams in the playoffs with 58.8 rebounds per game.
The Bucks are 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games on just one day of rest. The under is 5-2 in the Bucks’ last seven Round 2 games.
Despite losing James Harden early in Game 1, the Nets managed to fend off the Bucks and come away with a win. That’s what having numerous superstars can do to a team. Kevin Durant led the Nets with 29 points, while Kyrie Irving produced 25 points. Blake Griffin stepped up as well, as he ended up with 18 points to go with 14 rebounds. Harden exited in the first quarter in did not return because of a hamstring injury and it’s likely that he’ll miss at least a game. His status is definitely on to monitor closely, though whether he plays in Game 2, the Nets seem to have enough firepower to keep up with Milwaukee. Durant and Irving are enough to take care of business on offense for the Nets, who also have the likes of Joe Harris and a resurgent Griffin. Mike James is expected to get a bigger role off the bench with Harden out, and he showed he deserves an increase in minutes after scoring 12 points in Game 1 of the Bucks series.
The Nets are 9-1 against the spread in their last 10 games. The over is 4-1 in the Nets’ last five Monday games.
