Nets vs. Bucks Picks, Predictions: Can Porous Brooklyn Defense Hold Giannis in Check?

Check out our top NBA betting picks as the Brooklyn Nets visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

Last Updated: October 26, 2022 12:25 PM EDT • 4 minute read

It’s a marquee matchup in the Eastern Conference with stars on both sides of the ball taking center stage as the Brooklyn Nets visit the Milwaukee Bucks. Read on for our Nets and Bucks picks and predictions.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks are off to a 2-0 start and will host a Nets team that has struggled on the defensive end through the first couple of games. In a rematch of a gritty 2021 playoff series, can Brooklyn bow its neck to hold down an explosive Milwaukee offense?

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Read on for our picks and predictions for Wednesday’s NBA matchup between the Nets and Bucks (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Nets vs. Bucks Game Info

Date/Time: Wednesday, Oct. 26, 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI

Nets vs. Bucks Odds

Nets vs. Bucks Odds Analysis

The Bucks opened as 4-point home favorites and have seen that number remain in place at DraftKings and FanDuel. 81% of the money wagered on the point spread has been on Brooklyn.

The total opened at a whopping 233.5 and has come down a couple of points to 231.5 (-110) at DraftKings and FanDuel.

Nets vs. Bucks Picks

Nets vs. Bucks ATS Pick

Bucks -4 (-110) ★★★★

The Bucks have the best basketball player on the planet, as Giannis Antentokounmpo displayed with aplomb in his most recent outing, a 44-point explosion against the Rockets on Saturday. Brooklyn should have more pride than to play the porous type of defense that it has shown thus far in 2022, but Antentkounmpo is a tough man to guard.

Milwaukee is 2-0 against the spread this season, while Brooklyn is off to a 1-2 ATS mark in the early going. The Bucks have won five straight regular-season contests with Giannis facing off against Durant’s Nets, while also famously getting the better of Brooklyn in a seven-game playoff series in 2021.

Brooklyn ranks 30th in defensive efficiency against Milwaukee’s top-ranked defensive efficiency presents enough of a mismatch to ride with the Bucks at home on this meager point spread.

Nets vs. Bucks O/U Pick

Under 231.5 (-110) ★★★

On the surface, Brooklyn’s poor defense should lead to productive nights for Milwaukee’s star offensive players, but there’s also the factor of pride for these Nets players. If Brooklyn, which ranked a much more capable 15th in the NBA in defensive efficiency last season, can buckle down to any reasonable extent against Antetokounmpo, it’s possible this game falls short of the lofty total.

The Nets have bona fide scorers in Durant and Kyrie Irving, but Milwaukee’s defense is no joke. The Bucks have allowed just 96.5 points per game through their first two contests. That makes the Bucks the only NBA team to have a defensive scoring average below the triple-digits.

Brooklyn is 12th in the league by offensive efficiency so far this season, but it might have trouble reaching its top gear against Milwaukee’s suffocating defense. The Bucks have had one of their two games go Over this season, while Nets games are 2-1 on to the Over.

Nets vs. Bucks Prop Pick

Antetokounmpo Over 32.5 points (-106) ★★★

Giannis has never scored below 30 points in a regular-season game against Durant and the Nets, clearing this scoring mark in four of six contests. In the playoff series in 2021, Antetokounmpo cleared this scoring mark in five of the seven games, and only once fell below a scoring total of 30.

Even if the total falls short of expectations, it’s difficult to imagine Antetokounmpo being held down below his customary efforts against Brooklyn. That's especially true considering the difficulties the Nets have had defensively over their first few games.

Antetokounmpo has cleared this scoring total in only one of his two games thus far, but didn’t take long to find his stride in Saturday’s trouncing of the Rockets. The Bucks should lean on their star again on Wednesday. FanDuel (-106) offers far more favorable odds on Antetokounmpo's scoring total than DraftKings (-120).

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Nets-Bucks picks made 10/26/2022 at 2:11 p.m. ET.

Written by:
Brenden Schaeffer

Brenden has covered the St. Louis Cardinals as a credentialed baseball writer for KMOV-TV since 2016. His sports writing has appeared in outlets including the Austin American-Statesman and Columbia Daily Tribune. Since 2021, Brenden has co-hosted 'The Big Show' during the afternoon drive for KTGR, the ESPN radio affiliate in Columbia, MO. He has appeared on radio stations around the country, including KMOX, and hosts a daily St. Louis Cardinals podcast. In the sports betting content space, Brenden has covered the NFL, college football, NBA, and college basketball for outlets including SBR since 2019. For his football handicapping, Brenden looks to target NFL player prop markets as well as sharp underdog lines in college football. Brenden looks to reference FanDuel for his sports betting articles because of its consistently competitive odds on parlays. FanDuel's boost offerings are also customer-friendly, and its odds on the NFL Same Game Parlay articles he's written for SBR have historically been consistently competitive compared to other books.