Tuesday is opening night in the NBA and we only have fond memories of last season, where we went 207-152 (58%) overall. That’ll be tough to repeat again but trust that we’ll be as locked in and eager as ever to have another exceptional year. Two big games spotlight the first primetime slate of NBA action– here are my picks:
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NBA 20/21 Season: 207-152 (58%)
MLB Season: 229-199 (54%)
NFL Season: 45-40 (53%), +20 units
Nets/Bucks under 237.5 (-110), 2 units: It’s no mistake that the association’s “powers that be” have this game scheduled as the opening contest of the 2021-2022 NBA season. The Bucks are the returning champions, and they’ll be crowned as such on Tuesday night, while the Brooklyn Nets stand as the favorites to win the Eastern Conference. Superstars Kevin Durant and James Harden return with big hopes; Kyrie Irving will not. The controversial point guard has chosen his own prerogatives ahead of his team and I can’t say I’m a fan. Either way, Brooklyn moves on with plenty to still be confident about. Joe Harris, LeMarcus Aldridge, Paul Millsap, and Patty Mills (I smell a 6th man of the year award…) join Durant and Harden on a restocked and loaded roster. The Bucks will have their hands full with this new-look Nets team, but the Bucks have no lack of swagger heading into this season. Containing mostly the same exact players as last year, Milwaukee had a full offseason to build even more team camaraderie and chemistry. I like that for the Bucks this season and in this game, but we have a play on the total instead.
For starters, the total is just a huge number, so that had me leaning to the under from the onset. Although regular season games tend to be higher scoring than games we watch in the postseason (for obvious reasons), I think this game will have a very “playoff” feel. Milwaukee must have a chip on their shoulder coming into this game, if not solely because of how little media attention they’re getting heading into it. Not only that, but somehow the champs are the underdogs, at home. The Nets might have an even bigger chip. All the media attention is great but much of it is scrutiny surrounding Kyrie Irving and his antics. Not to mention the fact that this is the same Bucks team that knocked off Brooklyn last season in the Eastern Semifinals. I mention all this to say that it’s hard to imagine tensions NOT being high in this matchup. Tensions, nerves, playoff-feel: that feels like a hard-fought battle in the trenches of the paint and that feels like an under to me.
The brilliance of Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn’t the only thing that led to the Bucks’ winning an NBA Title. Milwaukee flexed tremendous defensive effort throughout the postseason. Against the Hawks they never allowed Atlanta to score more than 116 points. Against the Suns in the Finals, they only allowed Phoenix to score 109.3 ppg. And against the Nets in the Semis, the only permitted 104.7 ppg, and that was with a game 7 that went into overtime! The under is 9-3-1 in Bucks last 13 home games and 6-1-1 in Nets last 8 games overall. Take it and don’t look back!
