Filip Tomic
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The matchup we’ve all been waiting for begins tonight in Brooklyn as the Nets host the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals!
You can catch that game live on TNT, tipping off at 7.30pm ET. Don’t forget to check out our Milwaukee Bucks vs. Brooklyn Nets full game preview
We’ve picked out our favorite bets for tonight’s game, find them in our same-game parlay below!
Giannis Antetokounmpo to score 35+ points (+124)
Kevin Durant to score 30+ points (-112)
Kyrie Irving over 3.5 assists (-140)
Kevin Durant over 2.5 made threes (-162)
Khris Middleton to score 25+ points (+164)
Parlay odds: +3052
Giannis Antetokounmpo to score 35+ points (+124)
The Greek Freak has been sensational against the Nets during the regular season, averaging 39.7 points per game. His numbers dipped a little in the first round against Miami, but that was to be expected as the Heat play a completely different style than Brooklyn. With Jeff Green out, the Nets have one less body to throw at Giannis. He did pick up a minor injury in the series against Miami, but he has had seven days to regenerate and fully recover. Expect a statement game from Giannis in the opener.
Kevin Durant to score 30+ points (-112)
Similarly to Giannis, Durant has cooked these opponents during the regular-season meetings. He scored at least 30 points in all three games, with his highest output being a 42-point explosion in early May. He averaged 34.7 points in those three games, shooting 48.7 percent from the field and an incredible 52 percent from three-point land. In the five games against the Boston Celtics he averaged 32.6 per game while shooting 54-50-91 percent. The Bucks simply don’t have anyone on their roster to compete with his length and Durant should take full advantage of that tonight.
© Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Kyrie Irving over 3.5 assists (-140)
Kyrie Irving averaged six assists during the regular season to go with his 26.9 points per game. His numbers changed a bit in the series against Boston when he was focused more on scoring as opposed to getting everyone else involved. If the Nets want to advance in this series Kyrie will have to play a more team-friendly style in order for them to succeed. In the regular season he averaged 5.5 assists in two games against Milwaukee, so I’m confident he can get at least four of them tonight.
Kevin Durant over 2.5 made threes (-162)
KD is no stranger to shooting the ball from deep and this postseason he has averaged 5.6 attempts in the five games against the Celtics, making 2.8 of them per game which is a 50 percent success rate. He went over 2.5 threes in three of those five games and what’s also encouraging is that he went 13-for-25 from deep in the three regular-season meetings against the Bucks, including a 7-for-13 effort on the night he dropped 42 on them. He will get plenty of attempts tonight and he only has to make three of them.
Khris Middleton to score 25+ points (+164)
Khris Middleton is a clear second option behind Giannis for the Bucks when it comes to scoring. In the first round against Miami he carried the team for stretches, especially when Giannis wasn’t going. He shot the ball at a 49.2 percent clip and averaged 21.5 points. That number would have been even higher if he had played more minutes, but his team was far superior in that series so he averaged only 34.8 minutes per game. That will definitely go up tonight and with both teams looking to score as many points as possible, I can definitely see Middleton getting his numbers tonight. He averaged 24.7 points per game in the regular-season meetings and shot over 50 percent from the field and over 90 percent from the free-throw line.
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