The 2020-21 NBA season kicks off later than any campaign in history – and the league isn’t wasting any time giving fans a marquee matchup to watch. Kevin Durant looks to lead the Brooklyn Nets to victory Tuesday against his former club, the Golden State Warriors. Both teams are hoping to overcome disappointing 2019-20 seasons.
- Date/Time: December 22, 7 p.m. ET
- Arena: Barclays Center
- TV Coverage: TNT
- Sportsbook Odds: Nets -5.5 | O/U 228 (Line History)
- Warriors vs Nets Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Brooklyn opened as a 5.5-point favorite, but that line has since moved all the way to -7 in favor of the hosts. The total has also shifted, rising 2 points from a 228 opener.
Golden State News & Notes
It’s safe to say the 2020-21 edition of the Warriors will fall somewhere between the team that reached the NBA Finals in 2019 and the one that finished with the league’s second-worst record last season.
Bettors and fans should keep expectations in check, as a handful of new arrivals (including former No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins and 2020 second overall pick James Wiseman) get used to their new surroundings.
Still, with the season coming in 10 games shorter than the regular 82-game slate, teams can’t afford to waste games. Fortunately for the Warriors, they have a fully healthy Stephen Curry back in the fold after injuries limited him to just five games last season.
Curry is expected to have a significantly positive impact on the arriving Wiggins, who never reached his full potential in five seasons with the Timberwolves.
Brooklyn News & Notes
The Nets failed to make inroads last season, their first with Irving in the fold. They finished two games under .500 after posting a 42-40 mark a season earlier, and they were bounced out of the first round of the playoffs for the second year in a row. Enter Durant, who missed all of last season with a leg injury but is back and looking every bit like a four-time NBA scoring champion.
And let’s not forget about Irving, who took on a greater share of the offensive load in his first year in Brooklyn and responded with a career-best 27.4 points per game.
Even more impressively, his distribution didn’t suffer, as he averaged 6.4 assists (the second-highest mark of his career). And the Nets have plenty of complementary scoring, between Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert and others.
Betting Pick: Nets -7 (-110)
NBA success is all about chemistry – and the Nets come into the season as a much more cohesive unit than a Golden State team with several fresh faces in the lineup.
- Kevin Durant’s 27.0 career scoring average ranks 6th all-time.
- Draymond Green (foot) is doubtful for Tuesday.
- Stephen Curry scored 35 points in his last game vs the Nets.
