Game 5 Milwaukee Bucks vs Brooklyn Nets Betting Odds, Lines Picks & Predictions

After coming back from the dead in the previous two games, the Bucks now head to Brooklyn for Game 5 of the series. Milwaukee was written off by many after suffering two devastating defeats. However, they managed to pull themselves together and even the score to 2-2 after two home matchups. After sweeping Miami in Round 1, they now have only 2 losses in 8 preseason games. Overall, they’re 52-28 straight up. The Bucks had less success covering, as they’re 36-44 ATS. Brooklyn missed a chance to take a commanding lead in the series on Sunday. However, they’ll be much more concerned with an injury to Kyrie Irving. Now, they’ll likely continue the series without two of their Big Three as Harden is still out. Still, it’s nothing new for them as they played most of the season without some of the key players and went 54-27 SU. Against the spread, they’re 45-36. The two teams have now met each other 7 times this season. Milwaukee has the upper hand so far, with 4 wins.

Line Movement

The Bucks are entering Game 5 as the road favorites. The line opened at -2.5 but after the early money favored the Bucks, it has moved to -3. The total was initially set to 220.5. However, it has dropped since and now stands at 219.

Notes on Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks have won most of the games this season thanks to their high-powered offense. Still, to get anything against the Nets, they had to turn to their defense. In the last two games, their defensive effort finally matched what they’ve shown in the Miami series. Milwaukee kept the Nets to a combined 179 points in games 3 and 4. Their job was made easier by Irving’s injury on Sunday, but it was an admirable effort nonetheless. They clamped down on Kevin Durant in the 2nd half and kept the whole Brooklyn team to 30.3% from beyond the line. Another positive for the Bucks is the return of Giannis Antetokounmpo to MVP form. After scoring 33 in Game 3, Giannis had 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists on Sunday.

Donte DiVincenzo, who’s done for the season, is the only absentee for the Bucks.

Notes on Brooklyn Nets

Having three big stars has allowed Brooklyn this season to survive even when one of them was injured. They dominated throughout the season even though Durant, Harden, and Irving rarely played together. However, in the second half on Sunday, we had a little preview of what the games will look like with only one of the key players available for Brooklyn. Due to three huge contracts, the Nets don’t feature a team as deep as some other contenders. And it showed on Sunday. Milwaukee’s defense focused on Durant, forcing him into tough shots. Even though he scored 28, he struggled all night, shooting only 9-25 from the field. At the same time, no other Brooklyn player managed to score more than 8 points. If they’re to get anything out of the next game, the Nets need their supporting cast to start hitting shots. If Harris, Griffin, Brown, or Shamet get going, it will make the job easier for Durant.

Irving is listed as questionable at the moment, but he’s not expected to play. Harden is also not ready yet.

Betting Pick: UNDER 219

The Bucks have finally rediscovered their defense and we can expect s similar performance on Tuesday. However, they’re still not clicking on the other end of the court, scoring only 96.5 points per game in 4 games. The Nets, on the other hand, will likely struggle to find points without Harden and Irving. Expect them to try to slow the game down and find Durant opportunities to play one-on-one.