Houston Rockets vs Brooklyn Nets
When: 6:00 PM  ET, Sunday, January 15, 2017
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

TV: 6 p.m. ET, ROOT (Houston), YES (Brooklyn)
PREDICTION: Rockets 125, Nets 111

Oddsmakers currently have the BROOKLYN listed as 13 point favorites versus the HOUSTON, while the game’s total is sitting at 233.5.

NEW YORK — The Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets are among the leaders in attempted 3-pointers.

The differences between the teams is how many actually go in and for the Rockets they will attempt to rebound from a dreadful perimeter showing Sunday night when they visit the Nets.

Houston leads the league in 3-point attempts at 39.9 per game and 1,675 overall. It is a significant increase from the 26.9 attempted last season and more on par with 2014-15 when the Rockets took 32.2 per game and won 56 games.

Houston also makes 37.2 percent of its threes, which places it in the top 10. James Harden makes 34.8 percent of his 3-pointers while free agent acquisitions Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon are at over .500.

The Rockets will be looking to get those figures back to normal after shooting 3 of 24 from long range in the second half of Friday’s 110-105 home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Rockets shot 24.4 percent (10 of 41) from long range, their third-lowest percentage of the season and wound up blowing a 16-point lead.

It was the fifth time the Rockets shot under 30 percent from 3-point range and it also marked the first time Houston dropped consecutive games this season.

From Dec. 26 to Jan. 10, the Rockets shot 36.6 percent from 3-point range during a nine-game winning streak. In its first losing streak of the season, Houston is at 30.1 percent from 3-point range.

“I didn’t think we were going to go all year without any kind of problems or any kind of tough spots,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “This is a tough spot.”

The primary culprits were Trevor Ariza and Anderson, who were a combined 2 of 14. Harden was 2 of 7 and Gordon was 3 of 9 after missing two games with a toe injury.

“We didn’t make shots,” Harden said. “Trevor had a really good look, Ryan had a really good look. Simple.”

A multitude of problems make the Nets the league’s worst team at 8-31 and 4-26 since Nov. 12. They have taken the fourth-most 3-point attempts this season and their 32.9 tries per game are third.

Those are negated by a 3-point percentage of 33.7 percent, which is the third-worst in the league. The Nets are shooting 35.2 percent in their season-high nine-game losing streak but are allowing 112.6 points per game, opponents to shoot 46.2 percent and have posted a defensive rating of 107.4.

None of those games have been played with Jeremy Lin, who reinjured his left hamstring in the third quarter Dec. 26 against Charlotte. Lin has only played 12 games and the Nets 5-22 in the games he has sat.

Lin is not expected to play Sunday despite a promotion of his own bobblehead doll being handed out to fans.

Of course, the Nets have many other issues besides an injured player not playing on a giveaway night. Besides getting their promotional items fans might be watching the Nets lose 10 straight for the second time in nine months after the team ended last season with 10 consecutive defeats.

Many of those were poor traits were on display in the fourth quarter of a 132-113 loss at Toronto Friday. The Nets were down 90-89 through three but gave up 42 points in the final 12 minutes and wound up with their 19th double-digit loss of the season.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 23 points and Brook Lopez added 20 despite shooting 6 of 17. In the decisive fourth quarter, Bogdanovic and Lopez were a combined 2 of 8 and a minus-32 as the Nets allowed the Raptors to hit 7 of 13 3-pointer and shoot 61 percent.

“I came out and I definitely hurt us,” Lopez said. “I absolutely have to make better plays coming out in the fourth.” Lopez said. “Absolutely we didn’t respond. I didn’t respond the right way. You’ve just got to get back, continue playing defense.”

Often the implosion occurs in the third quarter but in the last two games, the fourth is the problem. The last two fourth quarter collapses have resulted in Brooklyn being outscored 73-38 while giving up runs of 13-0 and 21-2.

“We get in a black hole in the beginning of the fourth quarter,” Bogdanovic said. “We have to extend those good minutes we played for three quarters. “Almost every game we have those three or four minutes that we permit the other team to make a run on us.

Houston is 17-3 in the last 20 meetings with the Nets. Harden scored 36 points and the Rockets shot 39.5 percent from long range in a 122-118 home win on Dec. 12.

The post Houston Rockets vs Brooklyn Nets Odds & Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

Brooklyn Nets vs Toronto Raptors
When: 7:30 PM  ET, Friday, January 13, 2017
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), Sportsnet One (Toronto)
PREDICTION: Raptors 122, Nets 105

On May 4, 2014, Raptors guard Kyle Lowry drove the lane with the backing of a raucous crowd in Toronto only to have his shot blocked by Paul Pierce. The play ended Game 7 of an exciting first-round series with the Brooklyn Nets advancing with a 104-103 win.

Since Lowry and the Raptors experienced the disappointment of getting a shot blocked in a playoff elimination game, the fortunes of both teams have been drastically different.

The evidence of how different things have gone for both teams since their postseason series will be on display when the Toronto Raptors host the league-worst Nets Friday night.

The Raptors won the Atlantic Division in 2013-14 to get homecourt advantage against the Nets. The Raptors then won the last two division titles and are vying for another division crown while fending off the Boston Celtics.

In the regular season, Toronto is 130-72 since Pierce’s block while the Nets are 67-135.

Besides Lowry, four other players remain from that series for Toronto, including DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan is averaging a career-best 28.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He also is shooting 47.4 percent this season, the second-highest mark of his eight-year career.

DeRozan’s latest big game occurred Tuesday night in a 114-106 home win over the Boston Celtics. Besides scoring a season-high 41 points on 16-of-29 shooting, DeRozan grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds.

It was DeRozan’s 11th career double-digit rebounding game and the significance of that was not lost on coach Dwane Casey, who played Patrick Patterson 21 minutes after the forward missed four games with a strained left knee.

The Raptors average 42.7 rebounds per game and are near the bottom of the league with 31.6 defensive rebounds per game. Tuesday was the sixth time Toronto finished with at least 50 boards and that included Jonas Valanciunas getting a career-high 23 rebounds.

“More than anything else, the 41 points is nice, but 13 rebounds, the 11 defensive rebounds when we needed it with Pat not being 100 percent and (Boston) putting two guys on JV trying to keep him out.

“DeMar came in and got some big rebounds, tough rebounds so that was impressive. That was more of a sign of grit and grind as much as the 41 points.”

Toronto is 5-5 in its last 10 games since getting a 116-104 win over Brooklyn on Dec. 20. The Raptors won their next two after beating the Nets but dropped five of seven before Tuesday.

Friday will begin four straight games against sub-.500 teams, and 12 of Toronto’s next 20 games through the All-Star break will be against teams at or under .500.

Brooklyn takes a 15-game road losing streak into Friday and is 1-17 overall on the road. The Nets’ lone road win was Nov. 12 in Phoenix, and since then the average margin of defeat away from home is 13.2 points.

Brook Lopez is the lone holdover for the Nets from the classic series but seems to get his name mentioned in trade rumors annually.

Lopez scored 20 points but also committed six turnovers in a 104-95 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans Thursday. Brooklyn often struggles in the third quarter, but Thursday it was the fourth quarter that resulted in a season-high eighth straight loss.

The Nets held a six-point lead through three but shot 6 of 18 and committed seven of their 16 turnovers in the fourth.

“We really struggled to score the ball,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We had a few turnovers and just didn’t make the plays.”

“We just turn the ball over,” Lopez said. “It’s kind of the story. That’s really it. You got to do a better job taking care of it, myself first and foremost.”

Toronto is on a five-game winning streak over the Nets and its next win matches its longest winning streak in the series. The Raptors won six straight over the Nets from Jan. 28, 2009, to Dec. 17, 2010.

In the most recent meeting, the Raptors picked up a 116-104 home win on Dec. 20. Lowry scored 23 points and Norman Powell’s 21 points compensated for DeRozan shooting 6 of 20.

The post Brooklyn vs Toronto Odds & Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

New Orleans Pelicans vs Brooklyn Nets
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, January 12, 2017
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN New Orleans, YES (Brooklyn)
PREDICTION: Pelicans 116, Nets 106

NEW YORK — The New Orleans Pelicans held their breath when Anthony Davis took a hard foul and crashed into the front row of the stands at Madison Square Garden Monday.

Opposing defenders hold their breath and hope for the best each time Davis touches the ball near or around the rim.

Other than hope, there is little stopping Davis this season and the center looks to have another stellar performance if he plays Thursday night when the Pelicans visit the Brooklyn Nets.

Davis is listed as questionable with a left hip injury he sustained from a flagrant two foul from New York forward Kyle O’Quinn in the closing minutes of the third quarter of a 110-96 win. Davis hit two free throws after getting fouled and exited the game with 40 points and 18 rebounds.

“Sore, sore,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said of Davis’ condition after the star did not do much in practice Wednesday. “We weren’t going to have him do a whole lot today. He’ll get treatment all day today and then tomorrow morning we’ll see how he feels.”

The Pelicans did not need the 23-year-old to play the fourth as they turned in one of their best games from start to finish.

“I was being aggressive,” Davis said. “I know where we are as a team, what we’re trying to do as a team. I just tried to come out aggressive. That was it.”

Davis’ aggressiveness resulted in his fifth game with 40 points this season, his 25th double. He came within four of his career high for rebounds and finished 14 of 22 from the floor.

Davis’ performance helped the Pelicans (15-24) win for the fifth time in their last eight games. During one of the Pelicans’ best stretches of the season, he is averaging 26.8 points, 16.1 rebounds and shooting 51.2 percent (80 of 166).

“When he’s playing at a high level, it shows where our team is at,” New Orleans rookie guard Buddy Hield said.

Despite Davis getting 40 points and over 15 rebounds in the same game for the sixth time, the Pelicans still are digging out of a 2-10 start, which morphed into a 9-20 hole before the current improvement.

If he plays, Davis will be looking for his first 30-point game against the Nets. In six games against Brooklyn, Davis is averaging 18 points with three double-doubles and has yet to score more than 24 points against the Nets.

He will also be looking to help the Pelicans continue playing somewhat improved defense. Monday was the 15th time, New Orleans allowed less than 100 and it is 9-6 when doing so.

“We have to play the way we played (tonight on the rest of the road trip). I thought we were efficient offensively. Our defense has been pretty solid the last two or three weeks. I’ve been happy with that, but we’ve struggled offensively (recently),” Gentry said.”

The Nets (8-29) are on their second seven-game losing streak of the season and their fourth since the start of last season. Brooklyn is 4-25 in its last 29 games and 1-12 in its last three since a 10-point win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 14.

Brooklyn has led the league in pace most of the season but its offense is faltering at times to go along with the league’s worst scoring defense (114.1 points per game). Since beating the Lakers, the Nets have been held under 100 six times and shot less than 45 percent eight times.

The latest instance was a 117-97 wire-to-wire loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. The Nets shot 40.2 percent and committed 18 turnovers.

Brook Lopez led the Nets with 20 points and Bojan Bogdanovic added 16 but there was little other help offensively. While Lopez and Bogdanovic were a combined 13 of 24 from the floor, the rest of the team shot 34.9 percent (22 of 63).

It marked the seventh straight game where the Nets did not get two players with at least 20 points and also was Brooklyn’s 18th double-digit loss.

“They had more energy, especially the first half and they outworked us,” Lopez said. “And the numbers clearly show it.”

Trevor Booker did not play due to a left hip contusion but is expected to play Thursday. Booker is Brooklyn’s top rebounder at nine per game and a rebounding percentage of 17.3.

Without him, the Nets were outrebounded 33-22 in the first half and 53-48 overall Tuesday. Even when Booker is on the court, rebounding is among the many issues plaguing the Nets, who are 3-22 when getting outrebounded.

“I just keep harping on this, but I think rebounding is a team thing,” Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Where we are, I think we have to rebound better as a team, so not on person.”

New Orleans is 5-0 against the Nets since Feb. 9, 2014. Last season, Jrue Holiday hit the game-winner with one second left in a 105-103 home win on Jan. 30 and Tim Frazier totaled 19 points and 13 assists in a 106-87 win at Brooklyn on April 3.

The post New Orleans vs Brooklyn Odds & Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

Bennett played in 23 games for the Nets, his fourth team since being the surprising top pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2013. He averaged 5.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game.

The 6-foot-8 forward spent one season with the Cavs before they traded him to Minnesota in the deal for Kevin Love. He was waived by the Timberwolves after a year and spent a season with the Raptors in his hometown of Toronto.

The move Monday leaves the Nets with 14 players on their roster.

The post Nets waive former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett appeared first on IdealCapper.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Brooklyn Nets
When: 7:30 PM ET, Friday, January 6, 2017
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Cleveland), YES (Brooklyn)
PREDICTION: Cavaliers 115, Nets 102

NEW YORK — Kyle Korver was scheduled to visit Brooklyn next Tuesday with the Atlanta Hawks.

Plans changed and Korver might suit up Friday for the Cleveland Cavaliers when they open a six-game trip with a visit to the Nets.

The Cavaliers acquired Kyle Korver from Atlanta on Thursday night, but the team has yet to announce it because they have to finish a trade call with the league.

The call will occur Friday, and if it happens in time, Korver could be available by the opening tip.

Korver was traded on the two-year anniversary of Cleveland obtaining Timofey Mozgov and J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert. Coincidentally, Smith’s thumb surgery that will sideline him until the end of March likely contributed to the deal.

Although the Cavaliers shoot 39 percent from 3-point range and are at 40.9 percent since Smith last played Dec. 20, they shot 25 percent (14 of 56) in their last two games.

Korver was courted by the Cavaliers in free agency after the 2012-13 season and ultimately signed a four-year, $24 million with Atlanta. He helped Atlanta to a 60-win season two years ago and shot 42.5 percent from long range in Cleveland’s four-game sweep in last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals.

“Obviously, it’s a great opportunity for me to go to Cleveland,” Korver said after not playing for Atlanta on Thursday night in New Orleans. “I’m very excited about that part, but there’s definitely a lot of relationships that care a lot about here that I’m going to miss.”

The version of the Cavs that Korver joins is about to embark on a trip that will span 6,500 miles and end with a trip to Golden State on Jan. 16. It also is a team that is less than 100 percent from a health perspective.

Kyrie Irving has missed the last three games with a right hamstring injury and coach Tyronn Lue did not give a timetable for his point guard’s return.

Irving is listed as questionable and the Cavs will go with inexperience at point guard for the time being, at least until another trade occurs.

The inexperience at point guard became news when LeBron James pointed it out after Wednesday’s 106-94 loss to the Chicago Bulls when the Cavs totaled 13 assists, making their total 46 in the last three games.

Besides Irving’s status, Kevin Love is listed as questionable with an illness. Love did not play Wednesday after playing 24 minutes Monday and the Cavs are hopeful that Love can play Friday.

Love lost approximately 10 pounds from food poisoning contracted on the team flight after Saturday’s win in Charlotte. He also missed two games with a left knee contusion last month.

Channing Frye started for Love and scored 15 points Wednesday, but he also has been impacted by the illness, which also impacted James.

“It’s something that’s going around,” Lue said. Channing’s really sick, Kevin’s sick and now LeBron is sick. So hopefully it doesn’t continue to spread.”

James, however, was forceful in asserting he will play through it while expressing frustration at the injuries and illnesses.

“It can (wear on you),” James said “It’s just tough. It’s slowing up our process because of what we’re trying to build.”

James and the Cavs beat the Nets by 20 two weeks ago at home in a game they led by as much 46. The Cavs are 7-2 against the Nets since James returned to the team in 2014, but one of those losses is credited for spurring them to an eventual championship.

The Cavs were handed a nine-point loss in Brooklyn on March 24 when James scored 30 points but went scoreless in the fourth quarter. It led to a team meeting where Lue implored more aggressiveness out of the Cavs.

Brooklyn’s last home win over Cleveland was its penultimate of a 21-win season. The Nets ended last year with 10 straight losses and is on pace for a similar record this season.

Since a 4-5 start after a win at Phoenix, the Nets are 4-21. Brooklyn has allowed more than 100 points in each loss and more than 120 in eight losses, and sustained 14 double-digit losses.

The latest was Thursday’s 121-109 loss at Indiana where the Nets struggled for production from their starting lineup. Trevor Booker scored 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, but the other four starters combined for 32 points on 13 of 36 from the field.

“The starters took us out early and there was a big difference,” Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We came out like mush for some reason.”

Nets center Brook Lopez said, “We have to realize we’re playing for each other. We have to hold ourselves and each other accountable. We don’t want to let our team down so we have to go out there, play with a chip on our shoulder, play with energy, be aggressive and just keep battling.”

The Nets will be playing their second of three games in a span of about 89 hours since Sunday’s game against Philadelphia is a noon tip. Jeremy Lin will miss his fifth straight game with a second strained left hamstring and 23rd overall because of injury.

Brooklyn is 5-17 when Lin does not play and the Nets are also hopeful Rondae Hollis-Jefferson can suit up after sitting Thursday with right hip tendinitis.

The post Cleveland vs. Brooklyn Odds & Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

Brooklyn Nets vs. Houston Rockets
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, December 12, 2016
Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBATV, CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington), FSN Sun (Miami)
PREDICTION: Wizards 116, Heat 103

Oddsmakers currently have the Rockets listed as 14-point favorites versus the Nets, while the game’s total is sitting at 229.

HOUSTON — It marked another blistering start in a young season full of them for the Rockets, a burst from the starting gate that both propelled Houston to victory and put its opponent in a hole that proved impossible to escape from.

The Rockets attempted to blitz another foe when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.

Even on the second night of a back-to-back the Rockets (17-7) found the energy to muster a 36-point first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night, a surge strong enough to carry them through lulls in the second and third periods en route to a 109-87 home victory.

Houston has made a habit of fast starts and paces the NBA in first-quarter scoring at 31.5 points per game, nearly a full point ahead of the Cavaliers who rank second averaging 30.8 points in the first quarter this season.

“We played well in the first quarter,” said Rockets reserve guard Eric Gordon, who tallied six points in six minutes off the bench in the opening period. “I think teams are trying to figure us out. We score a lot in the first quarter.

“With James (Harden) being the point guard, it’s always going to be trouble for the other team.”

Harden played the entire first quarter against Dallas and posted 13 points (on 3-of-4 shooting) and seven assists to lead the Rockets on their opening kick. In nine home games this season Harden is averaging 11.4 points (on 67.4 percent shooting) and 3.7 assists in the first period.

Setting such a blistering early pace has enabled the Rockets to weather all variations of opposing storms, and that consistent first-quarter production is behind their fast start out of the gate.

“Yeah, we’re starting to find (balance). We’re getting better but we’re still not where we want to be,” Harden said. “Especially in the first quarter. We want to get off to a really good start.”

The Nets (6-16) dropped to 1-9 on the road with their 130-101 loss in San Antonio on Saturday night. They continue to trudge on without guard Jeremy Lin, who has been sidelined for 17 games with a left hamstring strain. The Nets have missed 50 games due to injury this season.

Lin was off to a solid start in Brooklyn, averaging 15.0 points and 6.2 assists over five games before being sidelined. He returned to practice late last week but the Nets have not set a date for his return, choosing instead to follow a cautious path.

“I wanted to come back as early as I can obviously but we’re taking a healthier approach in terms of making sure that this won’t bother me again,” Lin said. “Sometimes that takes a little bit longer.

“I really appreciate this staff and what they’ve done to try to help me in terms of everything.”

While showcasing patience, Brooklyn also needs the reinforcements. The Nets have dropped 11 of 13 and are struggling mightily to pair their hastened style of play with any semblance of defensive functionality. Brooklyn leads the NBA in pace at 101.6 possessions per 48 minutes and ranks 29th in defensive rating at 112.1 points allowed per 100 possessions.

The post Brooklyn vs. Houston Odds & Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

Washington Wizards vs Brooklyn Nets
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, December 5, 2016
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN Mid-Atlantic Plus (Washington), YES (Brooklyn)
PREDICTION: Wizards 116, Nets 110

Washington is 1 1/2 games ahead of Brooklyn in the Eastern Conference, with only the Philadelphia 76ers keeping the Nets out of the basement, but is starting to show signs of life on its road trip. The Wizards took Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder to overtime before falling 126-115 on Wednesday and fell 107-105 on Kawhi Leonard’s game-winner in San Antonio two days later. Brooklyn dropped both ends of a home-and-home with the Milwaukee Bucks in the last two games and lost nine of its last 10 contests. The Nets are last in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing an average of 114.2 points, and surrendered at least 111 in each of the last 10 contests.

ABOUT THE WIZARDS (6-12): Washington gave 23-year-old shooting guard Bradley Beal a five-year, $128 million max extension in the offseason and watched its investment thrive of late. Beal is averaging 27.3 points in eight games since returning from a three-game absence due to a hamstring injury and buried all five of his 3-point attempts in Friday’s loss to the Spurs. Point guard John Wall is finding Beal in the right spots and handed out 15 assists in each of the last two games.

ABOUT THE NETS (5-14): Veteran center Brook Lopez is taking the losing hard and put all the blame on himself after a 3-of-17 shooting effort at Milwaukee on Saturday. “I know I definitely wasn’t happy with the way I played,” Lopez told reporters. “I’m very disappointed in myself. I think I definitely affected the outcome. I let us down tonight, no question.” Lopez is 12-of-44 from the field in Brooklyn’s last three losses but knocked down at least three 3-pointers in each of the last four games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Brooklyn reportedly signed restricted free agent Donatas Motiejunas to a four-year, $37 million offer sheet on Friday, giving the Houston Rockets three days to match the offer.

2. Wizards C Ian Mahinmi (knee) missed the last three games and is questionable for Monday.

3. Washington swept the three-game series last season by an average of 14 points.

The post Washington Wizards vs Brooklyn Nets Odds & Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

BROOKLYN vs MILWAUKEE
When: 5:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 3, 2016
Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

TV: 5 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PREDICTION: Bucks 112, Nets 108

MILWAUKEE — Less than 48 hours after falling just short of a triple-double in a Milwaukee Bucks’ victory at Brooklyn, Giannis Antetokounmpo will get another crack at Brooklyn when the Bucks play the back end of a home-and-home series Saturday afternoon at the Bradley Center.

Antetokounmpo scored 23 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out eight assists in 30 minutes of work. Milwaukee was in such control of the contest — ultimately, a 19-point victory — that he didn’t take the floor in the third quarter.

“It’s a long season,” Antetokounmpo said. “It doesn’t matter for me. The only thing that matters is to get the win. We play them (the Nets) again in two days so they made a great decision sitting me in the fourth quarter because we’ve got to get the win again in two days. It’s a must-win game again.”

It’s no coincidence that as Antetokounmpo gets hot, so have the Bucks. Milwaukee has won three in a row and four of its last five games.

The Bucks are averaging 111.0 points, 48.0 rebounds, 24.7 assists, 9.7 steals and 7.3 blocks per game over that stretch and shooting 48.8 percent from the field and knocking down an average of 10 3-pointers per contest.

“I think we got the ball moving, but it all starts with our defense,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said.

The Bucks held Brooklyn to 38.2 percent shooting and a 12-for-40 showing from behind the arc.

“We couldn’t pierce their defense,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. “They kept us in front and they would switch it and keep you there and kept us on the perimeter. I would like to see how many rim attempts we got, but I don’t think we converted at a high rate. So credit to their defense, they are a good defensive team and they were tough to score on tonight.”

Brooklyn also committed 17 turnovers in the loss to Milwaukee, continuing a season-long problem. The Nets are third in the league in turnovers this season, averaging 16.5 per game.

“There is not one player where we are saying, ‘Hey, you are turning it over all the time’,” Atkinson said. “It’s equal distribution, so our offense has to get better. Our execution has to get better.”

Milwaukee has won 13 of the last 17 meetings, dating back to Jan. 9, 2013, and the first two meetings of this season’s series.

Isaiah Whiteside wants to see that streak come to an end Saturday afternoon.

“I think they just wanted it more than us,” said Whiteside, who scored 14 points with six rebounds and four assists against the Bucks Thursday. “We just have to come out with more of a sense of urgency on defense and get stops instead of leaving easy buckets, and I think they basically did what we were supposed to do.

“We need go to their place and we really just play with a chip on our shoulder and come out with a win.”

The post Brooklyn vs. Milwaukee Odds & Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

Atlanta At Brooklyn
When: 3:00 PM ET, Saturday, April 25, 2015
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
TV: 3 p.m. ET, TNT, SportSouth (Atlanta), YES (Brooklyn)
PREDICTION: Hawks 102, Nets 93
Join BetOnline and get up to $1,000 BONUS

Oddsmakers currently have the Hawks listed as 2½-point favorites versus the Nets, while the game’s total is sitting at 200½.

The Nets were a 96-91 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Hawks. They covered the +9.5-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (187) made winners of UNDER bettors.

Atlanta forward Paul Millsap went 2-of-11 from the field while playing with a bulky shoulder brace in Game 1. The All-Star ditched the brace for Game 2 and ended up going 4-of-4 from 3-point range and 7-of-11 from the floor en route to a team-high 19 points. “Definitely more range and definitely more mobility,” Millsap told reporters. “When you can’t pick your arms up above your ears, your shoulders up above your ears, it’s kind of tough. So I was able to do that (in Game 2), and more than likely I’ll go without it again the next game.”

Atlanta:
Team record: 62-22 SU,49-34-1 ATS
Atlanta is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Atlanta is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta’s last 6 games
Atlanta is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road

Williams, who drew criticism from former teammate Paul Pierce questioning his desire on the eve of the playoffs, is 6-of-18 from the field in the first two games of the series. “He was defending,” Brooklyn coach Lionel Hollins told reporters of Williams. “He made some hustle plays. Shooting comes and goes. People can criticize all they want, but if you are not in the game performing and doing it and going through the battle, you can’t say anything.” Backup point guard Jarrett Jack led the team with 23 points in Game 2.

Team record: 38-46 SU,41-41-2 ATS
Brooklyn is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Brooklyn is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Brooklyn’s last 6 games
Brooklyn is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games at home

The post Atlanta vs. Brooklyn Preview appeared first on IdealCapper.

Chicago At Brooklyn
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, April 13, 2015
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, YES (Brooklyn)
PREDICTION: Nets 101, Bulls 100
Join BetOnline and get up to $1,000 BONUS

Oddsmakers currently have the Bulls listed as 2-point favorites versus the Nets, while the game’s total is sitting at 200.

While center Brook Lopez was held under 20 points for just the third time in his last 14 games with a 12-point effort at Milwaukee, swingman Joe Johnson continued an ill-timed swoon. He was held to nine points while missing all four of his 3-point attempts for his fifth single-digit effort in seven games this month. His scoring average and shooting percentage have fallen each of the last two months, which stands in opposition to last season, when he finished strong before carrying the Nets in the first two rounds of the postseason.

Last time out for Brooklyn, they were a 96-73 loser as they battled the Bucks on the road. The Nets failed to cover in the match as a +1-point underdog, while 169 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.

Team record: 37-43 SU,38-40-2 ATS
Brooklyn is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Brooklyn’s last 9 games
Brooklyn is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Brooklyn is 8-13-2 ATS in its last 23 games at home

Regardless of whether it finishes with the third, fourth or fifth seed, Chicago’s postseason picture has been completely transformed with the solid return of Derrick Rose. The oft-injured superstar looked himself for the first time in Saturday’s win, chipping in eight assists and three steals to go along with his 22-point effort. He has struggled this season against Brooklyn, however, posting a 35.7 percent mark from the floor in three games while averaging 3.7 assists against 4.3 turnovers.

In their last action, Chicago was a 114-107 winner at home against the 76ers. They failed to cover the -15.5-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (221) was profitable news for OVER bettors.

Team record: 48-32 SU,37-43 ATS
Chicago is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Chicago is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chicago’s last 6 games
Chicago is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games on the road

The post Chicago vs. Brooklyn Preview appeared first on IdealCapper.