The Brooklyn Nets fans will get a close and rare look at how far their team is behind the best team in the league when the Golden State Warriors bring their magic to Barclays Center on Sunday afternoon.
Warriors at Nets
Spread: Golden State -12.5 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: o/u 234 points (-110)
The Warriors can snap Boston’s streak – Phila and Brooklyn next
The Warriors are playing tonight in Philadelphia, hoping to erase the bad taste of losing to the Celtics the other night. Still, the impression from Boston is not going away. The champions are allowed to have a bad night, especially after winning 7 games in impressive fashion, but it still doesn’t change the fact that they stunk in 88-92 loss to the Celtics.
Curry sat out a win on Monday over Orlando with a thigh bruise and was just 3-of-14 from the floor in his first game back, setting the tone for the rest of his teammates. After outscoring the Celtics by 10 in the first quarter, the Warriors couldn’t get hot at any time later in the game, troubled by the Celtics physicality and organized defense. Thompson shot just 5-of-18 and Green was 3-of-11, and the Dubs hit just 40.2 percent of their field goal attempts – a far cry from their season average of 51.2 percent. They lost to a team that shot 31 percent as both teams showcasedtop level defenses in a playoff-like atmosphere. It was a good game to wake them up and realize that there are still teams that are able to challenge them. It’s going to be much a different game in Philly tonight, especially considering that the Warriors had no trouble deciphering where to attach Sixers defense in a 135-114 win just a week ago. It’s a good game to get their rhythm back, making up for the negative of playing on the back-to-back nights in different cities.
There are no reports of Curry having further issues with the leg bruise, so he should be fine for this game. However, judging by the previous practice, Iguodala and/or Livingston could be rested in Brooklyn. Check an update on the game day to make sure who’s available, or if there were new injuries to account for.
Place: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Date/Time: Sunday, November 19th, 2017. 6:00 PM ET
TV Coverage: YES, NBCSBA
The Nets get bad news on Russell’s injury, still top the Jazz
Two teams finding new combinations in wake of their missing injured stars faced each other, and the Nets came out on top, defeating the Utah Jazz 118-107. The victory followed news that the starting point guard D’Angelo Russell will be out for foreseeable future after going under the knife to fix his injured knee.
Luckily for the Nets, Spencer Dinwiddie recovered in time to take the starting role, and he helped erase memory on Russell (and Lin, remember him?). Dinwiddie scored a career-high 25 points and guided his team into a game played in rhythm and within a system, showing that the point guard position is much more than ball controlling perimeter scoring task. He dished out 8 assists, spreading the wealth, and when the Jazz tried to cheat by going under the screen, Dinwiddie punished them with 6 triples. The Nets scored 39 points in the first quarter – 65 in the first half – and gained their largest lead of the season at 22 in the third. They dished out a season-high 18 assists in the first half to just six turnovers, while finishing the night with 27 assists to 11 turnovers. In fact, the first half was by far the most flawless 24 minutes of Nets basketball they’ve played this season. Everyone was involved too, and the balanced attack kept the Jazz and there patched-up lineup on their heels. They didn’t let their foot off the gas as the second half began either. They extended the lead in the third quarter, but Utah cut it to nine entering the fourth following a 19-9 run. The Nets weren’t as active in the second half but the game was never in doubt. The Nets shot 46 percent — 17-of-37 from three-point range — and 51 percent overall. It was the second straight game where the Nets as a team shot 40 percent or better from beyond the arc.
After starting the first 14 games of the season, Timofey Mozgov did not see any time in this one. He was finally replaced by Zeller and the Nets game immediately evolved to another level. The Nets will face both NBA Finalists in three days, as they travel to see Cavaliers next.
Golden State Warriors at Brooklyn Nets Game Trends & Prediction
Prior to the game in Philly, the Warriors were 7-8 against the spread, falling under .500 with two consecutive losses. 6 ATS wins preceded it, so it seems that the high tide subsided, at least for now. The Warriors are 8-7 against the over/under and 2-0 in daylight games. Still, four of the last five games coming into tonight’s game stayed below the set line.
The Nets are losing by 3 points on average, which is considerably better than the last season. This has helped them stay positive against the spread, going 8-7 so far this season, but they’ve mixed in some good with the bad in a mish-mash that would scare most people trying to foresee how they’ll play next. The totals were better to go after, especially in Brooklyn where the Nets played 5 overs to just a single under. Overall, they are 9-5 against the projected total points lines this season.
Admi-Rank: Don’t be scared by the arrow pointing down by the Warriors side, it’s just a natural reaction to two plain games after so many thrilling. The Nets are rewarded for their efforts, but are still so far from the Warriors level that they would break most charts.
The Nets have no problem competing, but having to play likes of Raul Neto and Ekpe Udoh isn’t exactly the same as facing two former MVPs and a Defensive Player of the Year. It’ll come to how much the Warriors try – if they feel going after the Nets and putting up a show, this will be over by halftime. If they want to relax and cruise, it will be over after third quarter when the champs start their engines. You don’t have to be a basketball expert to understand this.
With the blowout a relatively certain prospect, we only have to decide whether the Nets could pull out a backdoor cover as they have been helped by 12.5 points in the game. I don’t see this happening. As crazy as it sounds, 14.5 would be a much better number here, so the away side is where the value is. The total is set to 234 points, just a tad higher than my estimation of 222.5, so let’s just skip it. Of course, make sure you check on the team news after the Warriors game tonight, just to make sure they’ll all play.
My Pick: Golden State -12.5 (-110)
Total: (no wager on the total points here)
