Milwaukee Bucks vs Brooklyn Nets 3/31/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Predictions

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Brooklyn Nets Matchup Preview (3/31/22)

Two of the best players in the world, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant, face off in an Eastern Conference battle when the Milwaukee Bucks head to Brooklyn. Another player who could be mentioned in that conversation for the past month or so is Kyrie Irving, who has been electric on the offensive end. Irving has posted a 43-point game, a 50-point game, and a 60-point game in the past three weeks, despite sharing the offensive workload with Durant, the best scorer in the world. Brooklyn has played well, too, winning eight of its last 11 games. When Ben Simmons makes his Nets debut, they might be the scariest team in the NBA, even as a No. 7 or No. 8 seed in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee has climbed to second place in the Eastern Conference, with a chance to be in first place by the end of this game! In most seasons, Giannis would be a runaway MVP candidate; however, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid may be slightly ahead of him. After squeaking out a close win versus Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, the morale is high in Milwaukee. The Bucks are in a prime position to take sole control of first place, and there would be no better situation to do that in than versus the Brooklyn Nets. Take a look at my analysis for this game below and see who I believe will secure victory in Brooklyn!

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Brooklyn Nets Betting Odds

Another day, another fade of the Brooklyn Nets on their home floor. This season, Brooklyn holds an 8-28-1 record at home against the spread, which is by far the worst of any team in the NBA; the next closest record ATS at home is the Orlando Magic, who have a 13-24 record. I try to avoid betting purely based on trends, but this is too significant to ignore. The Nets can’t cover at home for whatever reason, and it will not get any easier against the Milwaukee Bucks. Milwaukee is not necessarily the hottest team in the league, but it is 2-1 against Brooklyn this season and has won 11 of its last 14 games. This will be a tough spread for sportsbooks to figure out, but I like the Bucks as slight favorites in this matchup and will take them up to -2.

How To Watch

Date: 3/31/22
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Arena: Barclays Center – Brooklyn, New York
Channel: TNT

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Milwaukee Bucks Starting Lineup

PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Wesley Matthews
SF: Khris Middleton
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Brook Lopez

Milwaukee Bucks Analysis

After an impressive couple of months, Giannis Antetokounmpo has found himself back in the MVP conversation once again, much to Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid’s dismay. The Bucks are just one-half of a game back from first place in the Eastern Conference despite a slow start to their season, and much of that can be attributed to Giannis’ play. Additionally, Brook Lopez finally returned to the starting lineup after a back injury had kept him out for the 2021-22 season until this point. Lopez is a massive contributor for the Bucks on both ends of the floor and provides substantial front-court depth for the defending champions. Anytime you can bring a player as talented as Bobby Portis off the bench, you are likely in good shape!

Brooklyn Nets Starting Lineup

PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Seth Curry
SF: Bruce Brown Jr.
PF: Kevin Durant
C: Andre Drummond

Brooklyn Nets Analysis

Brooklyn has found itself in a unique position in a competitive Eastern Conference. The Nets are one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA when Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant are healthy and active, which they scarcely have been at the same time this season. They will only become more frightening upon the return of Ben Simmons, a 6-foot-10 point-forward. Simmons is one of the best defenders and passers in the NBA and should immediately make Brooklyn a favorite to win the East. Interestingly enough, because Irving has been out for much of the season due to the vaccine mandate and Durant has been hurt, the Nets are projected to be a play-in team. That means they would probably be the No. 7 or No. 8 seed in the playoffs. The message to other teams is clear: watch out.

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Brooklyn Nets Daily Fantasy Picks

If a near-30-point triple-double sounds like something you want in your DFS lineup, consider Giannis Antetokounmpo, who always seems to have massive games against the Brooklyn Nets. In three games against the Nets this season, Giannis has posted averages of roughly 31 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. The Nets’ frontcourt does not match up well with Giannis, and this has been the case historically. Additionally, Antetokounmpo has played some of his best basketball ever, posting close to 33 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists in his past 15 games. These are massive numbers, even for a player like Giannis. I could see him having a 40-50 point night in this matchup, so consider him for your DFS lineup!

This matchup is a perfect one for Bruce Brown. Brown is a high-IQ player and a major athlete who does all of the intangibles on a basketball floor. Milwaukee is a solid basketball team, but it gets lost sometimes defensively and is caught ball-watching on backdoors and offensive rebounds. Brown does a great job of taking advantage of that and can pile on points, rebounds, and assists very quickly against a team like Milwaukee. When the Nets played the Bucks one month ago, Brown finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, and two assists: not bad for a role player that carries an extremely low DFS salary. Additionally, Brown has been solid recently, posting averages of 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists in his past 17 games. When Brown starts for the Brooklyn Nets, he produces solid numbers, despite not being featured much in the offense.