What’s up with the Milwaukee Bucks?
The Bucks are probably the most well-rested team in the NBA right now. They had a two-day break between their first two games and a whopping three-day break before this matchup against the Brooklyn Nets.
Giving a monster like Giannis Antetokounmpo that much rest only means he’s going to be frothing at the mouth, eager to play their third game of the season. He was already devastating in their first two games, opening up the new season with a near triple-double and following that up with a 44-point bomb.
A well-rested, amped-up Greek Freak only means bad news for the Nets. With fellow All-Star Khris Middleton still recovering from offseason surgery, Milwaukee will need another monster performance from Antetokounmpo to keep their perfect start intact.
What’s up with the Brooklyn Nets?
The Nets are trying to figure out who they are early this season. Offensively, they’re okay. They’re 11th in terms of offensive rating and are scoring above the league average rate. Defensively, though, oh boy. They rank dead last in the league, giving up 124.6 points per 100 possessions.
That’s been their main problem in their first three games. They gave up an average of 132 points per game in their two losses. In their lone win this season, they limited the Toronto Raptors to just 105 points. That just goes to show how inconsistent they’ve been as a team on the defensive end so far.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have been awesome offensively, averaging 32.0 and 27.3 points respectively. But defensively, they need to be better at leading the team by example. If their energy isn’t there on both ends of the floor, then Brooklyn will continue to be an inconsistent mess this season.
Storyline to watch out for
In their first game of the season, the Nets allowed Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson to combine for 53 points. In their second game, Pascal Siakam hung 37 points on them. In their most recent loss, Ja Morant and Desmond Bane scored 38 points… each.
How many points will Antetokounmpo score on Brooklyn’s defense? Who defends him? Will the Nets risk putting Durant in foul trouble? Or will they gamble and let Ben Simmons take the assignment? Can they even effectively double-team? Is it time to try out a zone defense?
That’s a lot of questions the Nets have to answer before their next game. And unlike the Bucks, they don’t have the luxury of a three-day break to figure it all out.
Prediction
Durant and Irving will do their best to match Antetokounmpo shot for shot, that’s doable. Unfortunately, the Nets don’t have an answer for the Greek Freak on the defensive end.
He’ll probably see an open lane to the hoop on nearly every possession. Either Antetokounmpo scores 50 or he notches a monster triple-double. Either way, the Bucks will finish the night with their third straight win.
Where to watch
You can catch Antetokounmpo and the Bucks go to battle against Durant and the Nets tomorrow live at 7:30 AM on NBA League Pass.
