Nets vs. Bucks Game 6 Odds, Preview, Picks, & Prediction

by Sloan Piva (SloanPiva) Last Updated 2021-06-17 20:55:44

Nets vs. Bucks Game 6 Odds

NBA Picks: Nets vs. Bucks Odds Update

Updated Thursday afternoon.

• GM 6 Moneyline: NBA bettors are predicting that this series will finish on Thursday night. 70% of moneyline bettors are backing the Nets as +180 underdogs, meaning a $100 wager will pay out $180 if the Nets upset the Bucks.

• GM 6 Spread: The Nets have covered eight of their last 10 games, winning seven of those outright, yet oddsmakers still have their doubts as Durant and Co. travel to Milwaukee. At one point earlier Thursday, the Bucks were -6 at some sportsbooks. The line is now Bucks -5.5 across the industry, and the betting handle is close to 50-50 one each squad.

• GM 6 Over/Under: The points total is down to 220 ahead of Game 6 after oddsmakers made the Game 1 total 240 points. The drop is, in part, due to injuries on behalf of the Nets, and also because the teams have combined for far fewer pionts than they averaged in the regular season. So far, under bettors have cashed in each of the first fives games of this series

Read more: Nets vs. Bucks Player Props

Sometimes, Game 7s feel like an inevitability from the moment a series begins. This year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup between the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks always felt like it had the potential to be a knock-down, drag-out affair. Now, we are almost assured to get our money’s worth as fans. And hopefully, we can continue helping make you some money off this series by beating these playoff odds at the sportsbooks.

Admittedly, I had a swing-and-a-miss moment going with the Bucks in Game 5. With Nets All-Star point guard and former NBA champ Kyrie Irving out with an ankle injury, and former NBA MVP and multi-year scoring champ James Harden questionable, Milwaukee felt like a superb NBA betting pick on the road. But Harden played (although not well), and Brooklyn caught fire via two legendary performances: one from perennial All-NBA talent, former MVP, and two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant, and one from career journeyman Jeff Green.

Who can even be mad at the result of Game 5? KD and Uncle Jeff went absolutely loco in the second half, flipping the script against a Bucks squad that had enjoyed a 17-point first-half lead. Durant appeared unstoppable, like he was on fire in NBA2k while playing in Rookie mode. He finished with 49 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists in one of the better playoff performances of all time.

Green was almost as lethal. When KD wasn’t destroying Milwaukee with his jumper, he was dishing to his veteran teammate, who nailed 7-of-8 three-point attempts and finished with 27 points. Blake Griffin added 17 points of his own. No Net player beyond that trio reached double-digits in scoring.

As for the Bucks, it was an all-too-familiar storyline. Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer watched nervously as his squad’s 17-point lead slowly evaporated in the second half. While Jrue Holiday was able to neutralize an obviously-unready Harden, nobody could do anything to contain KD going downhill. At halftime, I texted my friends that Durant needs to channel his inner ‘Mamba Mentality’ for the Nets to stand any chance in this series. He did just that, and now it’s hard to consider Brooklyn underdogs to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Nets vs. Bucks Game 6 Preview

But how can we pick against Milwaukee in an elimination game at home? Harden is still banged up, KD can’t possibly get an encore performance from the oft-inconsistent Green, and the Bucks were 30-10 at Fiserv Forum this season. Budenholzer’s gang has so many options, and Brooklyn has so few lockdown defenders. Again, a Game 7 in this series feels like a certainty.

But that doesn’t mean you should back Milwaukee -5.5 as a lock against the spread, and then throw away the key. As Charles Barkley says, “Milwaukee will probably win the world championship this season, but they make so many dumb plays.” He’s so right, as the Bucks are incredibly befuddling to watch sometimes. They fail to get 7-footer Brook Lopez the ball with 6-foot-1 Mike James guarding him in the post. They jack up threes like they are down 20 points, when in actuality they are up 10. They allow teams to make huge runs on them, because they cannot handle the pressure of the moment in big games.

Khris Middleton had a chance to tie the score late in Game 5, having shaken Durant out of his shoes with a crossover. But instead of pulling up for an eight-footer, or going for a smooth floater in the lane, he bounce-passed to the back of “(player-popup #giannis-antetokounmpo)Giannis Antetokounmpo”:/players/giannis-antetokounmpo-16852’s legs. Middleton turnover, KD steal, game-set-match.

Speaking of Giannis, when will the Greek Freak feel the critical wrath of NBA pundits over his woeful free-throw shooting, the way Shaq did in his hay-day? Even Philly guard Ben Simmons catches more flak over his struggles from the line, and Simmons has never come close to pulling MVP and NBA DPOY honors like Giannis. Antetokounmpo has made 15 of his 36 free throws this semifinals series. That’s 21 points left on the floor, in a series that has seen Milwaukee lose by single-digits twice.

Nets vs. Bucks Picks & Prediction

But I digress. Soapbox rants aside, the Bucks have a better overall team top to bottom, as long as Harden is not himself and Irving is inactive. Joe Harris has been struggling from the field in this series, and he’s a total stranger to play-making—never mind getting to the line. Blake Griffin will not be scoring close to 20 points two games in a row, especially with the second game taking place in the Cream City. Mike James, Landry Shamet, and Blake Brown would probably be DNP-CDs for the other three playoff teams still standing.

I expect Bud’s boys to clamp down defensively, and bring the heat on offense. It could be an absolute barn-burner. Then again, Milwaukee could crumble under pressure like it has so many times in the postseason, and it could come down to the final shot. What’s a sports bettor to do?

Go with the Bucks on the -222 moneyline. And if you’re taking the spread, go with the Nets.. I like our chances of this series going the distance, but I don’t love the probability of Durant losing by six points in a Game 6. He’s a generational talent, and he cannot be stopped when locked in.

I expect KD to convert another 15-20 shots in this pivotal game, but I expect the Bucks to make more total shots as a team than the Nets. So root for a close Bucks win, and then we’ll figure out how the Hell we are going to cross that Game 7 bridge.

• FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: Bucks 113-110
• PICK: Bucks ML -222

Schmitto’s Bet: If you’ve been betting on the Nets since the start of the NBA playoffs, your bankroll has grown significantly. The Nets are 8-2 against the spread over their last 10 games, all of which have been against the Celtics and Bucks. Why quit betting on them now? Oddsmakers continue to doubt the Nets against the Bucks, making them underdogs at home in Game 5 and now making them 6-point underdogs on the road in Game 6. Brooklyn might not have Kyrie Irving at their disposal, and James Harden might as well play on one leg, but giving six points to Kevin Durant seems too generous. Durant proved last game that he can put Brooklyn on his back, without any help from Irving and Harden, and carry them across the finish line. I predict another 40-point performance from KD tonight in front of a hostile Milwaukee crowd.

• PICK: Nets +6

Image Credit: Imagn