The Brooklyn Nets returned from the All-Star Break in style on Thursday night handing the division rival Boston Celtics a 121-109 defeat to win for the 12th time in 13 tries. It’s gone on to cover the closing NBA odds all but two times during that stretch. Steve Nash’s troops will be gunning for another big win on Monday night when it welcomes the vastly improved New York Knicks into the Barclays Center for the second meeting of the season between the division rivals. Brooklyn has taken six of the last four meetings, but it’s the Knicks that won where it mattered in covering all but three of those matchups. The Nets might be one of the favorites to win it all this season, but the Knicks have been one of the best cover teams in the league. Something will have to give.
This NBA Atlantic skirmish is set to go down live on Monday, March 15, 2021. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET from the Barclays Center. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN. We'll have NBA odds available at BookMaker.eu for this and every game on Monday’s NBA slate.
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Odds Analysis
When these rivals hooked up back in the middle of January, Brooklyn more or less had its way regardless of the 116-109 final score. The seven point spread is far from indicative of what actually occurred. While both teams shot 48 percent from the field overall, it was the Nets 3-point shooting that ultimately put it over the top. Kevin Durant went for a team-high 26 points and connected on 3 of 5 long range attempts to do his part in helping Brooklyn rack up a 40 percent success rate from downtown. The result was a bit fluky considering the Knicks enter the rematch owning the league’s No. 1 ranked 3-point defense that’s only allowed a 33.4 percent conversion rate. Though KD won’t be made available for this one, Brooklyn still has plenty of excelled shooters. If New York plays to its seasonal output this time around, it’ll be in a solid position to compete and/or win the game as easy it was for Julius Randle to dominate with 30 points scored in his 40+ minutes of court time.
New York Knicks
The Knicks were still in party mode when they returned to the hardwood to oppose Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks on Thursday night. Milwaukee came out firing erupting for 68 first half points en route to cruising to the 134-101 win and cover as 11-point favorites. It was another one of those rare nights for New York’s 3-point defense after it allowed 18 converted shots with Bryn Forbes and D.J. Augustin draining all 10 of their combined attempts. Randle was held to single digits in scoring for the first time this season, but R.J. Barrett went for 20+ points for the fourth time in his last five games. The loss dropped New York to 8-12 SU and 10-10 ATS on the road.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets found themselves in a dog fight with the Celtics for 41 of the games 48 total minutes. The teams exchanged decent sized leads throughout, but Brooklyn seized the game midway through the fourth quarter when it outscored its division rivals 21-14 to secure the 121-109 win and cover as short 2.5-point favorites. Kyrie Irving led the way with a game-high 40 points on 15 of 23 shooting, and it was his pair of converted 3-balls late that allowed for the Nets to run away and hide. James Harden came a pair of assists away from logging another triple-double, while the offense also got solid contributions from Landry Shamet, Jeff Green and Joe Harris. The win bumped the team’s home record up to 14-6 SU and 11-9 ATS.
New York vs. Brooklyn Prediction
The Nets are scorching hot right now and they’ve put a few shekels in our pockets in the process. Even so, I’m taking a stab with the Knicks who will likely be taking back an inflated number. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Tom Thibodeau’s troops are defeated by OKC heading into this matchup. Honestly, I’d much rather they did so as to make this spot even juicier considering every Tom, Dick and Harry will be lining up to back Brooklyn with the Knicks coming off successive to the Bucks and Thunder and the home team possibly looking to build upon a four-game win streak. You know darn well NY will have this back-to-back against the Nets and 76ers circled! Making the situation even sweeter is that the Knicks have lost and failed to cover both times they caught double-digits on the road and lost by an average of 23.5 points. Don’t fall for the trap! Look for a max effort to be put forth by the visitors that allows for the easy cover and possible outright victory.
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