Brooklyn Nets vs. Golden State Warriors Betting Preview
Sunday night features a battle of Eastern versus Western conference as the Brooklyn Nets (28-17) take on the Golden State Warriors (23-23). The Warriors will host this one at the Chase Center, with tipoff scheduled for 8:30 pm ET.
On Friday, Brooklyn took down the Utah Jazz on the road 117-106. In the win, Kyrie Irving had a game-high 48 points to go along with 11 rebounds and six assists. Nic Claxton also added 20 points in the win.
Despite resting many of their superstars, the Warriors picked up a road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday. Jordan Poole had a game-high 32 points, while Ty Jerome added 22 points and eight assists.
The Warriors are the favorites to win this one at home. They are -295 to win, while the Nets’ moneyline sits at +240. The spread features Brooklyn as 7-point underdogs (-110), and the over/under for total points is 234 (-110).
Nets Hope To Improve Against Western Conference
At 28-17, the Nets sit fourth in the Eastern Conference, sitting 5.5 games behind the Boston Celtics. While they have dominated against their own conference (20-8), they have struggled against the West (8-9). They will look to improve on that record as they travel to California to take on the Warriors.
Offensively, the Nets rank 16th overall, averaging 113.6 points per game. With Kevin Durant still out with a knee injury, the offense revolves around Kyrie Irving.
In 34 games, Irving is averaging 26.4 points per game on 48.3% shooting. He is also adding 5.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and a steal per game.
Other contributors include Nic Claxton (12.4 points, 8.5 rebounds), T.J. Warren (10.2 points, 3 rebounds), and Seth Curry (10.1 points, 2.1 assists).
Defensively, the Nets are one of the best teams in the league. They rank fourth overall, allowing opponents just 110.5 points per game (111.4 on the road).
Rested Warriors Look To Dominate At Home
With many of their top players, including Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, getting the night off Friday, the Warriors will come into this one well-rested.
The Warriors currently sit in sixth in the Western Conference, 10 games behind the Denver Nuggets. Luckily for the Warriors, they are playing at home, where they are much better (17-5) than on the road (6-18).
The Warriors rank fourth in the NBA in scoring, averaging 117.6 points per game (119.2 at home). They are led by Steph Curry, who is averaging 29.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game in 31 games.
Aside from Curry, Jordan Poole (21.3 points, 4.4 assists), Klay Thompson (20.9 points, 3.9 rebounds), and Andrew Wiggins (18 points, 4.9 rebounds) are also averaging double digits per game.
Golden State ranks 26th in scoring defense, allowing an average of 117.9 points per game to opponents (112.5 at home).
Take The Warriors To Win And Cover
Looking at the trends, Brooklyn is just 1-4 in their last five games, and they are just 1-5 against the spread in their last six. They are 4-10 in their last 14 games against Golden State, but they are 5-1 against the spread in their last six against the Warriors.
As for Golden State, they are 16-4 in their last 20 home games, and they are 8-1 in their last nine against the Nets at home. The Warriors are also 4-1 against the spread in their last five games overall.
While Brooklyn is a legitimate contender this season, they have had their struggles without Kevin Durant. Add to that the fact that they face a tough Golden State team that is well-rested and dominant at home. This could be a tough matchup for Brooklyn.
Take Golden State to win and to cover the 7-point spread (-110) Sunday night.
