The NBA will start its 75th anniversary season on Tuesday as the Milwaukee Bucks begin their title defense at home against the Brooklyn Nets.
Bookmaker BetOnline has the Bucks as underdogs for the clash offering odds at +103 for the home win. The odds are at -123 for a Brooklyn win and the over/under is set at 237.5 points.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: October 18th, 1:30 P.M. (EST)
The Bucks, who beat the Nets in last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals 4-3, can lay down a marker straight away with many having the Nets as the No. 1 title contender for 2021-22.
The situation surrounding Kyrie Irving and his unwillingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is a distraction for the team, but the 29-year-old guard already missed a lot of action last season and Brooklyn will still have an outstanding squad without him.
LaMarcus Aldridge, who took some time off due to a heart condition, is back with the team and another former All-Star has joined the gang with Paul Millsap inking a one-year deal. Blake Griffin also remains in town meaning James Harden and Kevin Durant will have a very good supporting cast.
A fully healthy Harden would almost feel like having a new player as well. The Beard missed over 20 games for Brooklyn during the regular season last year and also spent some time on the sidelines during the playoffs. Harden registered 24.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 10.9 assists per game as a Net and the team lost just seven of 36 games with him on the court.
Harden built up quite a rivalry with Giannis Antetokounmpo when the two raced for the MVP award and the chance to take down the Greek Freak and his team in their own barn should be a big motivator for him in the season opener.
Giannis missed out on his third consecutive MVP award despite enjoying another very productive year with 28.1 points, 11 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. He’s unstoppable on most nights and Brooklyn witnessed it up close last season in the playoffs when Antetokounmpo posted 31.9 points, 12.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists a night against them.
Milwaukee has shaken up the roster a bit over the summer, but Giannis will still be able to count on the support of Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton while the addition of Rodney Hood has given them another good scoring option off the bench and the return of George Hill adds a seasoned veteran to the locker room who will make sure that the team won’t lose focus on their attempt to defend the title.
