Brooklyn at Milwaukee

The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks will try to avoid the ring-ceremony jinx against a team that has a problem of its own in Kyrie Irving, who won't play because he refuses to get vaccinated. The last time these teams met was in the Eastern Conference semifinal when the Bucks survived Kevin Durant's 48-point output and pulled away in overtime to win the series and then beat Phoenix in the Finals. The Bucks bring back nearly all of the key players, including, of course, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had one of the most outstanding games in NBA Finals history when he scored 50 points with 14 rebounds and 5 blocks in Game 6 against the Suns. Khris Middleton also was indispensable, and Jrue Holiday played tremendous defense. The Nets lost four of the last five meetings at Milwaukee, and they are 15-32-1 in the last 48 meetings overall. Play the Bucks on the moneyline.