Milwaukee Bucks (25-15) at Brooklyn Nets (24-12)
The Bucks are looking to end a 2 losing streak and they'll likely have Giannis Antetokounmpo back after missing their latest game. He was a late out with an illness against the Raptors but he should return for a primetime matchup against Durant. However, Jrue Holiday will be out along with Grayson Allen/George Hill. So their frontcourt will be undermanned and they'll need to look to their bench for cover.
The Nets got Kyrie Irving back against the Pacers and they proceeded to break a 3 game losing streak in the 129-121 result. However, he won't available to play on home court due to New York's vaccine mandate. So Patty Mills should get more playing time as a result. Kevin Durant comes off 39 pts against the Pacers and he always enjoys a primetime matchup. So look for him to lead the Nets to victory.
The Bucks should get Giannis Antetokounmpo back into the starting lineup and he gives them a good chance of an upset against the Nets. Milwaukee has the wood over them lately with 3 straight wins since the playoff series last season. The Nets will also miss Kyrie Irving's scoring ability.
Stadium Record
The Nets have lost 4 of their last 5 home games. Milwaukee holds a 1-4 record in Brooklyn.
Head to Head Record
The Bucks won the first meeting of the season 127-104 and have won 7 of the last 10 meetings.
Best Bet
Washington Wizards (19-19) at Chicago Bulls (25-10)
Washington will be looking to bounce back after a shock loss against the Rockets 114-111. They have been relying heavily on Bradley Beal without Spencer Dinwiddie at point guard. Beal comes off scoring 25+ points in 7 straight games and has been playing more of a point guard role. However, Dinwiddie is expected back for this matchup. This will likely hurt the role of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who's coming off a season-best 26 pts against Houston.
Chicago are flying after 8 straight wins and have one of the healthiest starting lineups in the NBA. DeMar DeRozan has been hitting game-winners it seems every night and he comes off 29 pts against the Magic. He has now scored 20+ points in 13 straight games. Zach LaVine is also in good shooting form having scored 27 pts in his latest outing.
This should be a high scoring affair between two in-form shooting teams with the likes of Beal, LaVine and DeRozan on the court. So we like the Over, which is 6-3 in the Bulls last 9 games and 5-2 in the Wizards last 7 games. The two sides also met last week and totalled 239 pts.
Stadium Record
The Bulls are 5-0 in their last 5 in Chicago. The Wizards are 2-4 at this venue in their last 6.
Head to Head Record
Chicago has won 8 of the last 10 meetings and won the only clash of this season 120-119.
Best Bet
Atlanta Hawks (17-20) at Los Angeles Lakers (20-19)
The Hawks are coming off a 108-102 win over the Kings and they'll likely get Trae Young back from injury. He missed the clash with a back injury but is currently listed as questionable. In his absence, Kevin Huerter enjoyed more usage in this offence with 25 pts. With Collins, Reddish and Bogdanovic also questionable with injury/protocols, he should continue to get more playing time.
With LeBron James in MVP form, the Lakers are starting to turn their fortunes around with a 3 game winning streak. James is averaging 34.3 pts in his last 9 games and he should enjoy another favourable matchup with the banged-up Hawks. Another bright spot has been Malik Monk. He's averaged 20 pts in his last 6 games after missing 5 games previously.
The Lakers have found their mojo, especially at home with 3 straight wins. LeBron is on fire without Davis in the lineup and we can't see the undermanned Hawks slowing him down. Take the Lakers to cover at home as they have in 4 of their last 5 games.
Stadium Record
The Lakers are 3-0 in this homestand. Atlanta has lost 4 of their last 5 on the road against the Lakers.
Head to Head Record
Los Angeles has dominated this matchup with 8 wins in the last 10 meetings.
Best Bet
