Kyrie Irving and James Harden Injury Updates Leave Nets as Betting Underdogs in Game 5

The Brooklyn Nets were flying high after a Game 2 victory put the team up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks. However, the Nets have since dropped two games in a row and head into Game 5 as slight betting underdogs given the injuries to Kyrie Irving and James Harden.

With the statuses of both Irving and Harden up in the air, the Nets are listed as +134 underdogs on the money line accompanied by a spread of +3.5 on Tuesday night, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Brooklyn Nets Game 5 Betting Odds

This change is especially surprising due to the fact that Brooklyn has not lost a single game in Barclays Center during this year's playoff run. The Nets have also become +110 underdogs to win this series against the Bucks despite still being tied as the leaders to win the NBA Championship at +300.

All things considered, it is obvious that the oddsmakers do not believe Brooklyn has the depth to overcome injuries to two of its three superstar players. Harden continues to make positive progress on his hamstring injury, but it looks like he may need more time after missing the last three contests.

On the other hand, Irving went down in the first half of Game 4 with an ankle injury and reports suggest the team is preparing to play Game 5 without him. Both of these players have been monumental to the Nets's success this season, each averaging more than 24.5 points and 6.0 assists during the regular season.

There is no doubt that the changing injury updates for Harden and Irving will be the top storyline heading into this pivotal Game 5 showdown.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.