Golden State Warriors vs Brooklyn Nets: Prediction, Starting Lineups, Odds (12/21/22)

The Golden State Warriors visit the Brooklyn Nets after getting blown out just last night against the New York Knicks. On the other side, the Brooklyn Nets are coming off a close win against the Detroit Pistons three days ago. This should be an interesting matchup because it’s Kevin Durant playing against his old team. Let’s take a look at the odds and make some picks and predictions for this game!

Golden State Warriors vs. Brooklyn Nets Betting Odds

The Brooklyn Nets are 12.5-point home favorites against the Golden State Warriors and are at -800 on the money line. The over/under is also at 225. This spread makes sense because the Warriors are dealing with a handful of injuries on their side from Andrew Wiggins to James Wiseman. The over/under makes sense too because both teams are not good on defense at all, so expect a lot of points in this game.

Golden State vs. Brooklyn Nets Predictions

The pick: Nets -12.5

The Nets have finally found their footing this season after having a ton of turmoil to open their season with all sorts of distractions. Jacque Vaughn has been able to get his message across to the Nets a lot better this year than Steve Nash. Kevin Durant has been incredible for the Nets this year and has easily been the player keeping the Nets afloat when they’ve needed help. He’s the Nets best player and still in the running for the best player in the NBA. Kyrie Irving has also been playing well and seems to have bounced back after all the distractions he was responsible for at the beginning of the season. The key for the Nets this year is going to rely on Ben Simmons. The issue with the Nets this year is that they haven’t been able to consistently play defense in any game. As a team, the Nets also lead the NBA in field goal percentage. On the other side, the Warriors have struggled so far this year. Stephen Curry is easily their best player and he’s out for a bit with a shoulder injury. Jordan Poole is in line for a big role in this game as the starting point guard. Poole needs to get more consistent from game-to-game, because he might be the streakiest player in the NBA. Klay Thompson also won’t play in this game either at shooting guard. Next to Poole, Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga are in line for a big role down low as the next up for production. The Warriors have also been bad on defense this year too, but as a team they are 5th in the NBA in scoring. The difference in this game is that Brooklyn has all their players available and is the home team. This could end up being a blowout in favor of the Nets against Durant’s old team.

Betting Trends

Warriors are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points.

Nets are 5-11-2 ATS in their last 18 games vs. a team with a losing straight up record.

Key Matchups

Can Jordan Poole matchup with Kyrie Irving? Can Draymond Green contain Kevin Durant?

Kyrie Irving vs. Jordan Poole

There’s no comparison between these too overall because Irving has had an incredible career, but in this game Poole could present problems for Irving. He’s averaging 19 points, 5 assists, and 33% from three-point range on the year. Irving is not a great defender so this is a good matchup for Poole. On the other side, Poole obviously has his hands full with Irving. He’s averaging 26 points, 5 assists, and 34% from three-point range on the year. Both of these players are not good defensively, but because point guard is so important, whoever gets the advantage in this matchup has a very good chance at winning.

Kevin Durant vs. Draymond Green

These former teammates will be matched up most of the game with each other. Green doesn’t compare to Durant either, but his specialty is defense. He averages 7 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, and 1 block a game for the year. His matchup, Kevin Durant, averages 30 points, 5 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks a game for the year. Durant is playing at an MVP-type level, but Green is a very good defender. Durant needs be aggressive against Green and send a message against his former team, even if Green has taken a step back in play overall.

Golden State Warriors Starting Lineup

PG: Tua Tagovailoa
SG: Duke Johnson
SF: Myles Gaskin
PF: Jaylen Waddle
C: DeVante Parker

Brooklyn Nets Starting Lineups

PG: Tua Tagovailoa
SG: Duke Johnson
SF: Myles Gaskin
PF: Jaylen Waddle
C: DeVante Parker

Key Injuries

Golden State Warriors Injuries: PG Stephen Curry (Shoulder) O, SF Andrew Wiggins (Adductor) O

Brooklyn Nets Injuries: No one listed