The Brooklyn Nets were the favorites to win it all going into the 2021-2022 NBA season, and they should have been. Despite the big off-season of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Nets’ Big Three of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving topped all others on paper. And the team, with only two of their Big Three playing, was literally inches away from defeating the eventual 2021 NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs.
Then came the New York City COVID-19 Mandate that required Irving to be vaccinated to play in home games. Then the team chose not to let him play in road games. Even without Irving. The result is that Irving has yet to play for the Nets this season. Brooklyn is favored to do well this season, but some numbers show that many bettors have a little too much confidence in the team.
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Nets Have One Of Worst ATS Records
With Brooklyn 27 games into the season, the team is 11-15-1 against the spread (ATS), which puts it in the bottom third in the NBA. The confidence that bettors have in the team isn’t unwarranted, as it is easy to see how bettors can fall into that trap. Even without Irving, the team has two former scoring champions and MVPs on the roster, and you would think that would lead to a lot of victories by large margins.
But there have been many changes to the roster. Patty Mills, Cam Thomas, James Johnson, and DeAndre’ Bembry are new to the team and to the rotation. Combined with the fact that Irving started training camp, then exited before the season began, and that Harden continues to recover from an injury, the team is struggling with its continuity. That hasn’t stopped the Nets (19-8) from ascending to first place in the Atlantic Division, but because the expectations for them are so high, they are often booked at higher point spreads. That explains the poor ATS performance.
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Can The Nets Become A Sports Bettor’s Friend?
This should not continue for the entire season. As Harden continues to improve, the team builds cohesion on both sides of the ball, and Joe Harris recovers from ankle surgery, the Nets should become the dominant regular-season team that so many expected them to be. If and when that happens, it will reflect in their ATS performance.
It’s also important to note that despite the poor ATS performance, the Nets remain the favorite to win the NBA title at DraftKings, BetMGM, FanDuel, and Caesars.
So don’t give up on them for the rest of the season, but keep a close eye on the team if you are looking at making ATS wagers. Also, be mindful of the possibility of load management with this team as well, which could see either Durant or Harden sitting out of back-to-back games.