The NBA is back! The 2021-22 season of the top basketball league in the world is finally set to tip off with a fantastic doubleheader featuring four of the best teams filled with the brightest stars!
First up, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks begin their title defence as they host this year’s big title favourites according to the NBA 2021 odds, Kevin Durant’s Brooklyn Nets.
Then out West, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors will take on LeBron James and his reloaded Los Angeles Lakers, who have added Russell Westbrook to their team as they look to reclaim the crown this season.
Read on below as SBOTOP breaks down these two blockbuster games which will begin the 2021 NBA season.
Brooklyn Nets @ Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks and the Nets square off once again after their epic seven-game battle in the second round of last season’s playoffs.
The Nets lost two of their three superstars in James Harden and Kyrie Irving due to injury during the course of the series, but the brilliance of Kevin Durant still saw them come close to defeating the eventual champions.
But Durant and the Nets will once again be without Irving, who is away from the team as he remains unvaccinated for Covid-19.
Even without Irving, though, the Nets are still quite a formidable squad. They added veterans Patty Mills, Paul Millsap, and LaMarcus Aldridge in the offseason to help support Durant and Harden in Irving’s absence.
On the other side, the Bucks have brought back the core unit that won the championship last season. Their Big 3 of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday will lead the team on both ends of the floor.
While Middleton and Holiday both struggled with their shooting against Brooklyn, Antetokounmpo had a terrific statistical series against the Nets, averaging 31.9 points on 57 per cent shooting with 12.9 rebounds.
Milwaukee lost veteran forward PJ Tucker, who was their primary defender on Kevin Durant in last season’s playoffs. They added George Hill, Grayson Allen, Semi Ojeleye, and Rodney Hood in the offseason, but none of them are capable of defending Durant all that well.
Holiday, who is one of the top perimeter defenders in the entire league, will likely spend a lot of time as Durant’s primary defender, especially with no Irving to contend with.
However, Holiday will have his hands full trying to stop Durant, who almost singlehandedly beat the Bucks last season and will now have a healthy Harden to help him out.
Betting Tip: Brooklyn Nets Asian Handicap +1.50 @ 1.87
Golden State Warriors @ Los Angeles Lakers
Like Bucks-Nets, Lakers-Warriors will also be a much-anticipated rematch of last season’s incredible play-in game, which LA won.
However, the Lakers will head into the season opener on the back of a disappointing preseason where they went winless in six games. Two of their losses came at the hands of the Warriors, which included the first game that their new Big 3 of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook played together.
The Lakers will also be without two key rotation pieces in Trevor Ariza and Talen Horton-Tucker due to injury, while Kendrick Nunn is questionable to play.
Lakers coach Frank Vogel will have a tough task this season trying to integrate Westbrook into the team. Westbrook’s lack of shooting is particularly concerning, especially in a starting lineup that will have limited spacing.
Meanwhile, the Warriors are coming off a strong preseason where they finished a perfect 5-0. Reigning scoring champion Stephen Curry (32 points per game last season) made several NBA 2021 highlights in preseason; he had 30 points in the one game he played against the Lakers, then exploded for 41 points in just 30 minutes in the preseason finale against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Aside from Curry, Jordan Poole also impressed in preseason. The third-year guard averaged 22 points in five games, including 46 points in two games against LA. Poole will start alongside Curry in the backcourt while Klay Thompson continues to work his way back from injury.
The Warriors will also be without second-year big man James Wiseman and rookie Jonathan Kuminga. They will likely continue to play small-ball lineups with Draymond Green playing at centre, which led to much of their success last season.
Golden State’s lack of frontcourt size could be an issue against the gigantic Lakers, but the Warriors will have the edge in having a more cohesive playing style at the start of the season.
Betting Tip: Golden State Warriors Asian Handicap +3.50 @ 1.92
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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