Our NBA betting expert is here to offer his best Nets vs Celtics predictions and picks for game two of their NBA Playoffs Round 1 series, which gets underway Wednesday night at 7PM EST.
Despite limiting Kevin Durant to 23 points and forcing 16 turnovers from the Nets, the Celtics still couldn’t cover the spread in their 115-114 Game 1 win. A back-and-forth battle emerged with Kyrie Irving’s antics stealing many of the headlines.
A Jayson Tatum buzzer beater prevented the Nets from taking a Game 1 win, and these bitter rivals go at it again Wednesday night. The Nets will have the extra motivation to avoid going 0-2, and we’ll ride with Brooklyn in this one.
Celtics vs Nets Picks:
- Nets moneyline @ +135 via BetMGM
- Kyrie Irving over 5.5 assists @ -138 via BetMGM
- Total Points: Under 226.5 @ -110 via BetMGM
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Celtics vs. Nets Picks: The Analysis
A fast response
The Nets’ offense was quite disjointed in Game 1, especially with Boston bringing tight on-the-ball pressure and Tatum and Jaylen Brown looking to jump the passing lanes.
Brooklyn, which had 33 assists in the win over Cleveland in the play-in and averaged more than 25 assists in the final five games in April, recorded a mere 20 assists in Sunday’s loss.
The Nets aren’t the best playmaking team in the league, but they do own an assist per field goal made rate of 60.2% on the season and that figure dropped to just 47.6% in Game 1.
Durant told reporters he and the offense need to be more patient with their approach in Game 2. If the Celtics try to squeeze KD the second he gets over half, Steve Nash will need to run more off-the-ball sets in order to create space for Durant. That means more ball movement and time for those looks to develop.
Regardless of their game plan, Brooklyn still managed to push the Celtics to the final seconds while not playing their best. Needing an answer Tuesday night, run with the Nets to bring a ‘W’ back to the Empire State.
The Pick: Nets moneyline @ +135 via BetMGM
A helping hand
Kyrie Irving versus the Celtics faithful is the most compelling matchup of this first-round series. The former Boston guard was the target of more than boos and hisses in Game 1 and dished out his share of insults as well, including getting fined $50,000 for flipping off the Garden crowd.
No matter the distraction, nothing seems to stop Kyrie on the court. He had 39 points in the opener including clutch buckets in the fourth quarter.
Irving finished with six assists in Game 1 and if Brooklyn is going to even this series, Irving needs to facilitate: Either drawing doubles and hitting open teammates in space or getting inside the Celtics’ interior and kicking it out to open shooters.
Irving had 12 assists in the play-in win over Cleveland and has posted six or more dimes in seven of his last eight contests overall. Maybe not the biggest odds to roll with, but a nice pick for a same game parlay.
The Pick: Kyrie Irving over 5.5 assists @ -138 via BetMGM
Roll with the Under
The Game 1 total opened as low as 224 points and jumped to 227 before closing on Sunday, with the 115-114 final score just hitting for the Over.
The Game 2 total has taken the opposite route, hitting the board at 228.5 and quickly sliding down to 226 points with early sharp play on the Under. It may come back up before tipoff on Wednesday but as it stands I’ll take the under.
The Celtics pounced on Brooklyn errors to establish their lead, but won’t be given the same opportunities if the Nets get their heads together. If Kevin Durant’s word is true about needing to slow the tempo down and control the ball, then the Nets will play slow and dominate the game.
The Pick: Total Points: Under 226.5 @ -110 via BetMGM
Celtics vs Nets Odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total Points: 226.5 |
| Boston Celtics | -163 | (-3.5) -110 | Over -110 |
| Brooklyn Nets | +135 | (+3.5) -110 | Under -110 |
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