Welcome to Day 2 of the Bet Basics Advent Calendar. The first day was so nice, we decided to do it twice. The Buffalo Bills’ Isaiah McKenzie is going down in Bet Basics history after his five catch, 44 receiving yard performance, easily cashing the over 30.5 on FanDuel. As great as that was, there is a beauty in being second sometimes, especially around the holidays. Think about the sports landscape and some of the most famous ‘seconds’ in history.
Some of the greatest NBA players were picked second overall like Bill Russell, Jerry West, and Kevin Durant. The NFL saw Rob Gronkowski and Drew Brees flourish as second round picks and go on to have Hall of Fame careers.
Think about it in a real life context. It’s better to be the second person at the dinner table, but it’s also incredible to go get seconds after a great meal. And you’re better off arriving second to the festivities than first, this way you avoid that awkward silence while waiting for everyone else to arrive. With that being said, it’s obvious that sometimes being second is just better, unless you were the first born. In that case, being second doesn’t really do anything for you. Regardless, there are a lot of great things that revolve around the number ‘2’ so we should probably get into unwrapping another gem before day three arrives.
Day 2 – Back NYC’S second favorite basketball team
Considering it’s the second day of December, we will keep with the ‘2’ theme and bet on the Brooklyn Nets, who are second to the Knicks in the hearts of fans in the New York area. They are a small favorite tonight at home against the Toronto Raptors, who they are 2-0 against this season.
In case you haven’t been paying attention, understandable with so much NFL action right now, the Nets have had quite the rollercoaster of a season. However, they are turning it around now and putting the mayhem behind them, at least for a few moments. Tonight’s matchup at Barclays Center will be the fourth in what is a seven game homestand for Brooklyn. Can the Nets extend their winning streak to four? We think so, but most importantly, here’s why.
Kevin Durant is playing at an MVP level right now.
Wait, you wanted more than that? Well, it’s the season of giving so we’ll continue, but just know that Durant’s play right now is the number one reason as to why you should be backing Brooklyn. Outside of Durant, the team is 10-5 since firing Steve Nash and sort of hiring(?) Jacque Vaughn as their new head coach, bringing Brooklyn to a record of above .500 for the first time this season.
Ben Simmons has been starting to look like himself again, but is out for tonight. However, the team should get a big boost off the bench with the long-awaited return of T.J. Warren, who we really haven’t seen in an NBA game since his incredible run in the bubble back in 2020. Brooklyn will have to deal with the long and athletic Raptors, but while it might be close, Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes aren’t enough to swing the pendulum in Toronto’s direction.
While Durant playing a lot of minutes will probably catch up to the team later in the season, it creates a fantastic betting value for us right now. After all, we live in the present for a reason. So take this present from us and bet the Nets to cover a small spread at home, or the moneyline if you’d rather play it safe. Happy betting and please play responsibly. We’ll see you tomorrow.
The Pick: Nets -1.5 (-110)
In order to win this bet the Nets would have to win the game by two points or more, whereas a moneyline bet is to pick a team to win outright. The -110 price means you would have to bet $110 in order to win $100.