Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics Predictions, Picks, Odds

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First Round NBA Playoff action will resume on Wednesday night with a highly anticipated Game 2 between Atlantic Division foes in the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics. Coverage begins from Boston’s TD Garden at 7:00 p.m. ET on TNT.

Score Prediction

Nets 114, Celtics 110

Best Bets

Nets +140 at Caesars

Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics Predictions

After finishing seventh in the East with a record of 36-36 SU last year, Boston briefly maintained that same underwhelming pace with a similarly mediocre start to this season, as the Celtics opened with a lackluster 15-20 SU and ATS skid – with ten of those SU losses coming by 10+ PTS.

However, Boston has arguably been the hottest team in basketball since mid-January, considering the Celtics closed out the regular season with an impressive 36-11 SU and 30-16-1 ATS run – while scoring 114.4 OPPG and allowing just 102.8 DPPG during that timeframe.

On the other hand, Brooklyn dominated to open the season, as the Nets kicked things off with an impressive 26-14 SU run – while allowing just 108.6 DPPG to their opponents during that span.

Brooklyn has been on quite the rollercoaster since trading away James Harden though, considering the Nets enter Game 2 riding a head-scratching 19-25 SU skid – while surrendering a lofty 115.6 DPPG across that window.

I’ll back the Nets here, as Brooklyn nearly escaped with a victory in Game 1 despite Kevin Durant’s wretched shooting performance (23 PTS, 9-24 FG, 1-5 3FG), and while his struggles partially stemmed from the overarching influence of Boston’s top-ranked defense (104.6 DPPG, 1.037 OE), a slightly better effort from KD should be enough to push Brooklyn over the edge in Wednesday’s rematch.

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Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics Betting Odds

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Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics Betting Resources

Matchup: Atlantic
Date: Wednesday, April 20, 2022
Venue: TD Garden
Location: Boston, MA
TV-Time: TNT - 7:30 p.m. ET
Injury Report
NBA Playoff Betting Central

Brooklyn Nets Betting Analysis

SU: 45-39
ATS: 34-47-2
O/U: 41-41-1

After a heartbreaking Game 7 loss in last year’s Eastern Conference Semis’, Brooklyn quickly bounced back with an excellent start to this season, as the Nets cruised into January boasting a sturdy 26-14 SU record; however, still ranked near the bottom of the barrel ATS at that point with a record of 17-22-1 ATS.

However, Brooklyn completely fell apart during Durant’s 20-game absence down the stretch, considering the Nets enter Wednesday’s matchup riding a frustrating 19-25 SU skid – with a huge chunk of those losses coming in the absence of KD (16).

Boston Celtics Betting Analysis

SU: 52-31
ATS: 45-37-1
O/U: 41-40-2

After last year’s frustrating 36-36 SU showing, Boston kept the disappointment train rolling for a brief period with another lackluster start to this season, as the Celtics opened with a head-scratching 15-20 SU skid – despite getting tagged as favorites in 22 of those contests.

Boston turned things around with excellent defense down the stretch though, considering the Celtics enter Sunday’s Game 2 riding a red-hot 37-11 SU stretch, while scoring 114+ PTS in 26 of those contests (114.4 OPPG) – and allowing 100 PTS or less in 21 of them (103.1 DPPG).

**The total has gone OVER in five straight matchups between Boston and Brooklyn. (Getty Images)**

Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics Head-to-Head

The Nets swept a three-game regular-season set against Boston last year, with the first two matchups going over the total at an average of 224 PPG, while the third event stayed under with a score of 109-104 (U 225). The Celtics and Nets also met up in the first round of last year’s playoffs, which resulted in a relatively comfortable five-game series victory for Brooklyn.

However, Boston went 3-1 SU against Brooklyn this season, with all four matchups cruising over the total at an average of 231.3 PPG. The Celtics upped that to 4-1 SU on Sunday afternoon though, as Jayson Tatum nailed a contested layup at the buzzer to seal a thrilling 115-114 victory for Boston in Game 1 (O 225).

Key Players to Watch

BKN: Kevin Durant - SF (29.9 PPG, 7.4 REB, 6.4 AST)
BKN: Kyrie Irving - PG (27.4 PPG, 4.4 REB, 5.8 AST)
BOS: Jayson Tatum - SF (26.9 PPG, 8 REB, 4.4 AST)
BOS: Jaylen Brown - SG (23.6 PPG, 6.1 REB, 3.5 AST)

Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics Betting Conclusion

After Sunday’s thrilling Game 1 finish between these teams (115-114, O 225), the Celtics enter Wednesday’s rematch as 3.5-point home favorites over the Nets at TD Garden – which is slightly shorter than the number Boston was favored by in Game 1 (BKN +4.5).

I’ll back Brooklyn here, as the Nets effortlessly erased a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s series-opener despite Durant’s shooting woes (23 PTS, 9-24 FG, 1-5 3FG), and while there’s no guarantee Kyrie Irving will replicate his stellar Game 1 performance (39 PTS, 12-20 FG, 6-10 3FG), a solid effort from KD should ultimately push Brooklyn over the edge in Game 2.

Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics Betting Trends

The Nets are 3-7 ATS in their last ten games.
The Celtics are 4-1 ATS in their last five games.
The total has gone UNDER in six of the last eight Nets' games.
The total has gone OVER in 11 of the last 13 Celtics' games.
The Nets are 14-5-1 ATS in their last 20 matchups against Boston.
The total has gone OVER in five straight matchups between Boston and Brooklyn.

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Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson