Streaks Weekly Issue 5
NBA Tip-Off is Here!
Tonight we are celebrating the start of the NBA season with our inaugural Streaks NBA contest! The Brooklyn Nets visit the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, and we’ve got you covered with a game preview below.
Congratulations to last week’s winners, Ronald from Arizona, who won Thursday night’s contest for the Buccaneers at Eagles game, and Roy from Louisiana, who won Sunday night’s Seahawks at Steelers contest. Both winners took home 250,000 Streaks Cash!
Also, a special shout out to Jenny from Massachusetts, who sends great feedback after every contest. We read everything that our community of streakers shares with us and incorporate suggestions into our product updates. Currently, the most common feedback is related to our prizing. Right now, we are offering Amazon Gift cards, but look out for our updated rewards page soon, which will have prizes like team apparel and memorabilia. Please let us know what kind of prizing would most appeal to you in the post-contest feedback form. Streaks is for the players, so we would love to hear from you!
Without further ado, here’s our preview of this week’s contests:
Brooklyn Nets at Milwaukee Bucks (Tues — 7:30 ET)
The NBA season tips off with a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals which was the most exciting series of the 2021 NBA playoffs, coming down to overtime in game 7. With Kyrie Irving and James Harden injured, Kevin Durant almost carried the Nets to victory with what looked to be a game-winning 3-pointer with 1 second left in regulation. However, the replay showed that his toe was on the line, and when he tried a similar shot to win the game in overtime, he didn’t have the legs and it fell short. The Bucks wouldn’t face another elimination game en route to their first NBA championship since 1971, with Giannis Antetokoumpo having a Herculean 50-point performance in the clinching game 6 against the Suns.
The Nets are the opening favorites to win the Eastern Conference this season, with the Bucks right behind them. This offseason, the Bucks have had some turnover, losing Bryn Forbes and PJ Tucker, but adding Grayson Allen, Rodney Hood, and George Hill to bolster their defense and floor space for Giannis. The Nets retained the majority of their roster and added veteran Patty Mills, but the main question for the Nets is their health. Durant, Irving, and Harden have all had playoff injuries in their careers, but if they are all healthy, the championship is theirs to win. However, Kyrie Irving will not play in this game as the Nets have asked him to get the COVID-19 vaccine before he rejoins the team.
Spread: Toss up
Over/under: 239.5
Preview Question: This game is full of versatile superstars, which of these players will record a double-double in this game?
Double-doubles occur any time a player records double digits in any two categories, most commonly points and rebounds or assists, but can include steals and blocks as well. For superstars, double-doubles are standard: Giannis recorded a double-double in 41 of his 61 regular-season games last year (tied for 8th in the NBA), while James Harden led the Nets with 32 in 44 games played.
Denver Broncos at Cleveland Browns (Thu — 8:20 ET)
This game features two 3 and 3 teams with great defenses in the Broncos and the Browns, who give up the 2nd and 4th fewest yards per game in the NFL. On paper, the difference between these two teams is on offense. Teddy Bridgewater and the Broncos play dink and dunk ball security, believing they’re in every game because of their defense, while the Browns have a roster filled with dynamic playmakers. Unfortunately for the Browns, most of their playmakers are injured, as they have 20 players listed on this week’s injury report, including: QB Baker Mayfield, who aggravated a shoulder injury getting sacked 5 times against the Cardinals last week; WR Odell Beckham Jr., who is also dealing with a shoulder injury; RB Kareem Hunt, who is out for an extended amount of time with a calf injury after being carted off the field in the last game. Both teams have dominant edge rushers in Von Miller and Myles Garrett, so this game could come down to whichever team can keep their quarterback upright.
Spread: Browns favored by 5.5 points
Over/under: 44.5
Indianapolis Colts at San Francisco 49ers (Sun — 8:20 ET)
Both the Colts and 49ers will be fighting for their third win of the season in this game, which would get them back into the playoff picture. Both teams believe they should be contenders if everything breaks right for them. The Colts finished 11-5 last season and made the playoffs but lost to the Bills in the wild card round. The 49ers finished 6-10, though that was primarily due to bad injury luck—they were starting journeyman quarterback C.J. Beathard in place of the injured Jimmy Garoppolo by the end of the year. Garoppolo’s health continues to be a significant concern for the 49ers, which is why they drafted Trey Lance 3rd overall in this year’s draft. Garoppolo returns from a calf injury this week after Trey Lance performed admirably in his absence. This week, Lance is dealing with his own knee sprain, so the 49ers hope Garoppolo can stay on the field. For the Colts, Carson Wentz continues to look progressively more comfortable in his new offense with several standout deep throws last week against the Texans. Careless play ended Wentz’s days in Philadelphia as he threw 15 interceptions to 16 touchdowns last year with the Eagles, but he seems to have turned a corner as he has only thrown 1 interception to 9 touchdowns so far this season.
Spread: 49ers favored by 3.5 points
Over/under: 44
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