NBA Betting: Nets Have Bucks Number
The return of Milwaukee's Richard Jefferson to New Jersey is just one reason for bettors to focus on tonight's game and the NBA betting that comes with it.
Sportsbook.com has the Nets as 4 ½-point favorites with a Total of 195. This game starts at 7:30 pm ET on MSG Network. The Nets are 9-1 ATS in the last 10 meetings between the teams.
The Bucks are trying to win three straight games for just the second time this season. This is the second time Jefferson is facing the Nets (21-27), the team he spent the first seven years of his career with before being traded in the summer to Milwaukee (24-27) for forwards Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons.
Jefferson scored 13 points on 3-15 shooting in his first meeting against the Nets back on January 9th in a 104-102 win.
Jefferson's return to the Izod Center will likely be more emotional. He left as New Jersey's second all-time leading scorer with 8,507 points, and played a part in leading the Nets to six-straight playoff appearances from 2002-07, including trips to the NBA finals in 2002 and 2003.
This game also has implications in the standings, since both teams are part of a crowded race for one of the last playoff spots in the East.
The Bucks are coming off a 110-107 win over Atlanta on Saturday. With the win, the Bucks improved to 2-2 since Michael Redd went down with a season-ending ACL and MCL tear in his left knee.
Charlie Villanueva had 27 points, seven rebounds and a season-high six assists while Jefferson and Ramon Sessions each had 20 points. Villanueva, who is averaging 15.2 points this season, has averaged 24.5 in the last eight games and 27 points in the last three.
Despite the loss of Redd and frequently playing without center Andrew Bogut, who has suffered nagging injuries, the Bucks have remained one of the best bets in the NBA, ranking fourth at 29-20-2 ATS
Milwaukee is also 16-11-2 ATS on the road despite a 10-19 straight-up mark.
The Nets return home after a brutal stretch that featured plenty of road games. Beginning with their trip to Milwaukee last month, they have dropped nine of 12, with eight of those games coming on the road, including losses in Boston, New Orleans and San Antonio.
New Jersey is coming off an 85-83 win over Philadelphia on Saturday, snapping a three-game losing streak. Brook Lopez scored 24 points and added 17 rebounds while Devin Harris scored 17 points. Vince Carter sprained his ankle but will play tonight.
Coach Lawrence Frank wishes his team would start playing better at home, where it has been a real struggle. New Jersey is 9-15 straight-up and ATS, placing them among the worst in the NBA. They have been outscored by 4.2 points a game in Jersey and are 1-8 ATS in home games off an upset win as an underdog this season.
And even having lost earlier to Milwaukee, the Nets are no sure thing with an 11-22 ATS mark in home games revenging a loss over the last two seasons.
The Nets previous nine opponents had averaged 102 points against them; however New Jersey is 15-7 UNDER after playing a road game this season.
You can bet this game at Sportsbook.com. Remember, Gambling911.com has free NBA picks daily.
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Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
