The meaningless preseason games are all over along with their records. Everything begins anew. The NBA on TNT kicks off opening night of the 75th Anniversary Season with a pair of exciting games. First, a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview. Giannis Antetokounmpo and his defending NBA Championship’s Milwaukee Bucks welcome the Brooklyn Nets to town. The Nets have been in the news nearly every day recently over Kyrie Irving’s unwillingness to take the Covid-19 vaccine. The second game of the NBA on TNT doubleheader on Tuesday night is a Pacific Division matchup between Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers and the Stephen Curry-led Golden State Warriors. The 2021-2022 regular season is finally tipping off!
Overview of the Matchups for the Opening Night of the NBA on TNT
Opening Night of a new season is always exciting for fans, players, and coaches alike. Before the official season begins, one team celebrates and receives their rings tonight as the reigning NBA Champions. The Bucks and their fans will watch the NBA Championship banner rise for the first time since 1971. The Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns last season in six games to win the 2021 NBA Title. Can the Bucks be the “Beasts of the East” or will the Brooklyn Nets back up the 2021-2022 NBA Title Odds? Then, after what should be a highly competitive game, the second game of this NBA Opening Night promises to be entertaining no matter the score. The Lakers’ “Big Three” now includes Russell Westbrook as they host the Warriors. This game will likely be talked about more. Seemingly, every game to Lakers fans and pundits is Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Brooklyn Nets at Milwaukee Bucks Opening Night Prediction
Celebrating last year’s awesome achievement for the Bucks and being focused on their opponent seems like a hard task. However, some may find this statistic a bit surprising, considering the celebratory moments before tipoff. Defending NBA Champions are 58-16 overall on Opening Night. That bodes well for a Bucks team who hosts a Nets team without one of the best players in the world, Nets’ guard, Irving. Unfortunately for the Bucks, the Nets have two starters who are also considered two of the best players in two former MVPs, Kevin Durant and James Harden. Vegas predicts a one-possession game, favoring the Bucks by 1.5 points. That said, the Nets pull off a rare upset against defending Champions on Opening Night.
Final score: Brooklyn Nets 113, Milwaukee Bucks 105
Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers Opening Night Prediction
The late game on TNT is as intriguing of a matchup as the defending champions hosting the Nets. Unfortunately, the Warriors are without Klay Thompson to begin the year, as he recovers from a torn Achilles. However, Thompson was also hurt during last year’s play-in game between the Lakers and Warriors. That game came down to the wire, with the Lakers winning 103-100 after a long three by James with less than a minute to go. Look for James to be his usual self in the early part of the season. Historically, James’ teams are a second-half team with a good win streak after the All-Star break. Oddsmakers like a close game in the rematch of last year’s play-in tournament, giving the Lakers the edge by 3.5 points. If this were a road game, it would be easier to predict a Warriors’ win. Even with the likely growing pains for the Lakers, as their chemistry must improve to be contenders, the Lakers win and all of Laker Nation will begin celebrating a spot in the 2022 Finals.
Final Score: Los Angeles Lakers 121, Golden State Warriors 109.
[pickup_prop id=”13790″]
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
