Nets vs. Warriors Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
It’s a battle of 15-12 teams as the Brooklyn Nets start their six-game West Coast road swing in Golden State against the Warriors.
The Nets are 4.0-point favourites to win on the NBA odds with a total of 246.0.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
This will be the second meeting for these teams, this season. The Nets crushed Golden State 125-99 in Brooklyn back in December. Kyrie Irving had a game-high 26 points, while Steph Curry led the Warriors with 20 points. The total has gone Under in five straight games between these teams.
Brooklyn has struggled on the road this year. The Nets are just 4-7 outside of Brooklyn and have only covered the spread in three of those games. Brooklyn is 11-16 against the spread overall and have hit the Over in 17 of their last 20 games.
Despite having the second-leading scorer in the league (Curry), Golden State has missed the Over in six of their last eight games. The Warriors are an even 13-13 ATS, but they have covered better in the Bay Area. Golden State has covered eight times at home and five times on the road.
Brooklyn Nets
On Wednesday the Nets broke a three game slide that included losses to the Raptors, 76ers and Pistons. With Kevin Durant still on the COVID-19 protocol list, it was Irving who starred in Brooklyn’s 104-94 win over Indiana. Irving dropped 35 points and eight assists, while James Harden put up 19 points and 11 rebounds. Irving has played at an elite level when he actually shows up to the court. Just behind Durant, Irving is second on the Nets with a 27.9 points per game average with 4.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists. But, despite the star studded lineup, the Nets have been underwhelming this season. Brooklyn is 15-12 on the year and about to start a six game West Coast trip. With games against teams like the Warriors, Lakers and Clippers, this road trip could make or break the Nets’ season.
It seems fitting that Durant has been cleared to return to the lineup against the Warriors, as he hasn’t played since being pulled from the Raptors game. This is Durant’s first time back to Golden State since rupturing his Achilles tendon in the NBA Finals against Toronto in 2019. It was the only one of Durant’s three years in the Bay Area that the Warriors didn’t win the NBA championship. After missing all of last season with the injury, Durant is leading Brooklyn in scoring with 29.5 points per game, to go along with 7.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists.
Golden State Warriors
With an identical 15-12 record, this should be a good game. Curry has returned to MVP form and helped Golden State put out one of the most potent offences in the league. The Warriors have comfortably won their last two games with Curry dropping 32 points against the Spurs on Tuesday and 40 points against the Magic on Thursday. Curry is second in league scoring with 30.0 points per game on 43.5 per cent shooting from the 3-point line. He is also averaging 5.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists and has been arguably the best point guard in the NBA. The Curry and Irving matchup could determine how the game goes on Saturday.
With Klay Thompson out for the entire season with a torn Achilles, Canadian Andrew Wiggins has stepped up in his absence. Wiggins has been rehabbing his basketball image this season and proving he can be at least a secondary star. He is second on the Warriors with 17.6 points per game, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Rookie centre James Wiseman has also been an important contributor. Wiseman is averaging 12.2 points per game and 6.1 rebounds.
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