The Nets announced that they will be taking on the Bucks without Kyrie for the rest of the series and that Harden is listed as doubtful for game 5.
The Bucks have looked dominant on the defensive end in their last two performances holding a potent Brooklyn offense under 100 points in each game. Despite the fact that Brooklyn lost Kyrie for the second half of game 4, the Bucks have stepped up and they look like the more productive side as Giannis and Middleton are really getting it going; Jrue Holiday also looked pretty good in the second half of the game.
The Nets are +170 home underdogs tonight as they take on the Bucks in Brooklyn. If they are to pull off the win tonight, they will need a few things to go right in my opinion.
Joe Harris had 19 points in game one, 13 in game two and then completely fell off a cliff. He had 3 points in game three and 8 points in game 4 shooting a combined 3-13 from 3-pt range in those games. Without Kyrie and Harden, someone needs to spread the floor for Durant to iso against PJ Tucker. If Harris can knock down 50% of his shots tonight, the Nets may prove to be lethal.
The Nets need KD to go off tonight to even have a chance. If he gets himself the space he needs to what KD does, he might end up going for 40+. We know that the Nets are not known for their defensive ability, so as per usual, they will need to have a solid night on the offensive end to pull it off. He's averaging 35, but with him being the only one of the big three in action tonight, expect him to produce even more than that (if they are to play well of course).
We know that it will be likely impossible to stop Giannis if he gets himself going downhill, but by forcing his counterpart to give the ball up, the spacing on the floor will get a lot tighter around Giannis and hopefully force up some mid range shots. If Middleton has a bad night and nobody picks up the slack but Giannis, give the Nets a good chance at outgunning the Bucks at home.
Let me know what you all think!
