Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets Game 1 Prediction, Playoff Odds
They took the long way, but the Boston Celtics are in the playoffs after beating the Washington Wizards in the Play-In Tournament’s 7-8 game. They’ve got a tough task at hand though, as their first round matchup pits them against the Brooklyn Nets. Brooklyn won all three regular season meetings between these teams and with the Big-Three of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving all set to go for Game 1, things aren’t going to get any easier for Boston.
The Nets are 8-point favourites on the NBA odds to win Saturday’s Game 1, with a total of 230.5.
Celtics vs. Nets NBA Playoff Odds
Brooklyn has owned the Celtics this season. In two of their three wins against Boston, the Nets scored 121 and 123 points. The closest game was a 109-104 Brooklyn win on April 23, in which Durant and Harden both did not play. The total went Under in all three games of the season series.
Boston was poor on the road this season, going 15-21. They were 35-38 against the spread overall, but they’ve failed to cover in five of their last six games against Brooklyn. The total went Under in four of the Celtics’ last five games on the road and five of their last seven overall.
The Nets were a powerhouse at home this year, winning 15 of their last 17 games at the Barclays Center. They were 38-34 ATS overall and covered in five straight games to end the regular season. Brooklyn hit the Over in 40 of 72 games overall, but the total has gone Under in six of their last nine games.
Boston Celtics
It’s been a disappointing season for a Celtics team that was expected to compete for the Eastern Conference, after going to the East Finals last year. The biggest issue for Boston is the loss of Jaylen Brown. After a breakthrough year, Brown’s season ended with a torn ligament in his left wrist two weeks ago. Without Brown in the lineup, Jayson Tatum will need to lead this team. Tatum’s 50-point performance in the Play-In game is why Boston is even in the playoffs. He has great offensive numbers, averaging 26.4 points (team-high), 7.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists (team-high) and 1.2 steals per game (team-high). That won’t be enough though, as he’ll need to elevate his game even further against the Nets.
Boston needs to shore up their defence to have any shot in this series. They were only the 18th best defence in the month of May, winning just two of eight games and giving up an average of 113.9 points per game. Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier will be key pieces in this series. Walker averaged 19.1 points per game during the regular season and it will be his job to shut down Irving. Fournier, who was essentially the sixth-man before Brown’s injury, has played great offensively, but has struggled to adapt to the Celtics’ defensive system since being traded from Orlando at the March deadline.
Brooklyn Nets
After a season of injuries and resting star players, we finally get to see Brooklyn’s super team at full power in the playoffs. Because of injuries, Durant, Harden and Irving have actually only played eight games together this season. Brooklyn went 6-2 in those eight games with a monster offensive rating of 122.4. The Nets struggled down the stretch, going 5-3 over their final eight games, but with a full week off before the playoffs, this is as healthy as you’re going to see Brooklyn.
Harden has only played two games this month because of a hamstring injury, but they were two wins. Those weren’t flukes either, as the Nets are 12-11 without Harden in the lineup and 29-7 with him. Harden is the key that facilitates the offence between Durant and Irving. Blake Griffin and Joe Harris should round out the starting five for Game 1. Harris, who provides solid secondary scoring, missed the final three games of the regular season, but isn’t expected to be on any kind of minutes restriction for this game.
BOS
BK