Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics Prediction, NBA Odds
Brooklyn earned the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 115-108 home win against Cleveland on Tuesday. Boston has been off since April 10 after finishing the regular season as the No. 2 seed in the East.
The Celtics are 4-point favourites to win on the NBA odds, with a total of 224.0.
Nets vs. Celtics NBA Betting Odds
Boston is likely happy with their first round opponent after winning three of four regular season games against the Nets this year. All four games in the season series were high scoring affairs, with the Over hitting in seven of the last eight games between these teams.
Brooklyn ended the season strong and they come into this tilt riding a five-game winning streak. Covering has been a different story, however, as they’re just 2-7 against the spread across their last nine games. Stronger defensive play has led to the total going Under in six of the Nets’ last seven games.
The Celtics have been dangerous at home, winning 13 of their last 16 games at TD Garden. They finished the regular season 43-37-2 ATS overall, with covers in four of their final five games. The total has gone Over in 10 of Boston’s last 12 games.
Brooklyn Nets
Kyrie Irving was the hero for Brooklyn against his former Cavaliers team on Tuesday, finishing with a game-high 34 points and 12 assists. Kevin Durant added 25 points and 11 assists, but what really stood out was Irving and Durant’s willingness to spread the ball around. Bruce Brown Jr. benefitted from that ball movement and finished the game with 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while Andre Drummond added 16 points and eight boards.
Durant averaged a team-high 29.9 points per game in the regular season, while Irving was second with 27.4 ppg. As a team, the Nets averaged 112.9 ppg, ranking them ninth in the NBA. They’ve had defensive struggles throughout the season, however, allowing 112.1 ppg, 18th in the NBA. There was some stir that Ben Simmons could finally make his Brooklyn debut for this series, but it won’t be Monday. Simmons, who has been dealing with a back injury, is reportedly set to join team practices after working out individually over the last week. There’s a chance Simmons could be inserted into the lineup later in the series.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics have been a different team since the All-Star break, vaulting up the Eastern Conference standings from 11th place to the No. 2 seed. A lot of the credit for that turnaround is directed towards the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Tatum averaged a team-high 26.9 ppg, while Brown was second with 23.6 ppg. Tatum hit the 40-point mark five times during the regular season, including a season-high 54-point performance in Boston’s most recent game against the Nets last month.
The Celtics averaged 111.8 ppg this year, good for 12th in the NBA, but it was on defence where the team really shined. Boston led the league in points allowed, giving up an average of just 104.5 ppg. Since the All-Star break, team’s offensive (124.0) and defensive (111.1) rating were the best in the NBA. The big question mark surround the Celtics is the status of Robert Williams III, who has been out of the lineup since undergoing left knee meniscus surgery on March 30. Williams’ expected recovery time was given as four to six weeks, with the four week mark falling on April 27, the day of Game 5. The 24-year-old was having a breakout season, averaging 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game and he was even in consideration for Defensive Player of the Year before his injury.
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