Nets vs Bucks Picks and Predictions: BK Snipes Bucks Spread

The Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks both look to start building some momentum in the East tonight when they face off at Fiserv Forum.

Milwaukee has struggled with consistency this season, but Brooklyn's campaign has been about the worst imaginable scenario, with everything from injuries to a sudden trade sending it crashing down to play-in territory. 

With NBA betting odds laying an almost 10-point spread in the Deers' favor, can they find their groove?

Find out with our Nets vs. Bucks NBA picks and predictions for Saturday, February 26.

Nets vs Bucks odds

This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.

Milwaukee opened as a 9.5-point favorite. The juice has shifted back and forth and some books briefly moved to -10, but -9.5 still remains across the board as of Saturday morning. The total opened between 233.5 and 236.5 and sits between 236.5 and 237.5

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

Nets vs Bucks predictions

• Prediction: Brooklyn +9.5 (-110)
• Prediction: Over 237 (-110)
• Best bet: Curry Over 13.5 points (-125)

Predictions made on 2/26/2022 at 1:15 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Nets vs Bucks game info

• Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
• Date: Saturday, February 26, 2022
• Tip-off: 8:30 p.m. ET
• TV: ABC

Nets vs Bucks betting preview

Key injuries

Nets: Kevin Durant F (Out), Ben Simmons PG (Out), Joe Harris SF (Out), Goran Dragic PG (Probable).
Bucks: Brook Lopez C (Out), George Hill PG (Out), Pat Connaughton SG (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.

Betting trend to know

Over is 7-0 in Bucks' last seven overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Nets vs. Bucks.

Nets vs Bucks picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Spread analysis

The Bucks have been one of this season's more frustrating teams to handicap, struggling to produce anything near a consistent effort. On some nights, they've looked like sure-fire East favorites, while other efforts have fallen flat. 

An overlooked part of this is Brook Lopez, who's been injured all season and is an underrated part of what Milwaukee does on both sides of the ball — spacing around Giannis Antetokounmpo on offense and teaming with him on D to form arguably the best rim-protecting duo in the league. 

Rim protection is an underrated factor in this matchup, dealing with Kyrie Irving who is, flat-out, one of the best finishers around the rim for his size in NBA history. The Bucks can expect to see heavy doses of Irving hero-ball, and while having Jrue Holiday around to quell the threat is great, this isn't a good matchup overall for Milwaukee. 

Irving, Patty Mills and Seth Curry form a lethal troika from 3-point range — a dangerous asset against a Bucks team that allows the most opponent treys per game in the NBA. And while Cam Thomas isn't a superb shooter from distance (30.6%), he's proven himself an off-the-bounce bucket-getter who can summon his own shot. 

Irving's played in just one game since the trade deadline — a four-point loss to East-leading Miami at full strength, without Curry and Andre Drummond. While one game is obviously no strong barometer, it's a glimpse of what this current Brooklyn iteration can do against a dangerous two-way team that concedes lots of threes. 

The Bucks, at their best, can absolutely win this game by double-digits, but can they be trusted for it? Milwaukee ranks 25th at just 26-34 against the spread on the season, and didn't exactly head into the All-Star break with a ton of momentum. 

It's highly unlikely Brooklyn wins this game outright, but this spread might be a bit too big.

Prediction: Brooklyn +9.5 (-110)

Over/Under analysis

The Bucks are Top-6 in both offensive rating and pace, facing an abjectly bad defensive team that ranks 28th in D-rating over its past 10 games. Brooklyn can punish Milwaukee if it concedes the 3-point line too much, and has one of the most instant one-man offenses with Irving on the court. 

While all that points to an Over, this total is pretty damn high at 237. But we still think these two sides can get it done. 

Milwaukee is clearly going all-in on offense at the moment, and has topped this total in six of its past seven games. Despite not playing in over a week, the Bucks aren't likely to come out flat in a game they'll both perceive as an easy victory, and need to win in a tight East bracket. 

Rather than try to stop them on defense, Brooklyn's only option is to fight fire with fire, and we're likely to see both teams push a faster tempo as a result. This is more liable to take on the form of a recent Bucks score than Nets, and those have averaged 243.9 during Milwaukee's current bender, in which it's hit the Over in seven straight.

Let's see some fireworks.

Prediction: Over 237 (-110)

Best bet

Given that the Bucks concede a ton of threes, play at a fast pace, and have seemingly adopted a very "f*** defense, we're just going to outscore you" mentality (23rd in defensive rating over past seven games), it seems reasonable to target a Nets triggerman for player props tonight.

With that in mind, we're getting a great line on Seth Curry's points at 13.5. Curry's scored 20+ in three of his four games since donning Nets threads, shooting 51.6% from the floor. 

Obviously, Irving's presence will eat into his usage, but we don't think it's enough to cause this much regression when the Bucks are over-helping against Kyrie drives, opening up the threes that Curry feasts on. 

There's a bit of juice on the Over here, but given this matchup, we're alright with it. 

Pick: Seth Curry Over 13.5 points (-125)

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