The No. 2 seed Boston Celtics (1-0) host the No. 7 seed Brooklyn Nets (0-1) Wednesday for Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. Tip-off at TD Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (TNT). Below, we look at the Nets vs. Celtics odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
Boston beat Brooklyn 115-114 Sunday an instant classic thanks to a buzzer-beater layup by Celtics All-Star wing Jayson Tatum as time expired.
Nets G Kyrie Irving was sensational, scoring a game-high 39 points on 60.0% shooting, but Kevin Durant struggled with 23 points on just 37.5% shooting.
Celtics got 20-plus points from starters including an efficient 31 out of Tatum and a throwback performance from veteran big Al Horford.
Nets at Celtics odds and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:10 p.m. ET.
- Money line (ML): Nets +130 (bet $100 to win $130) | Celtics -160 (bet $160 to win $100)
- Against the spread: Nets +3.5 (-112) | Celtics -3.5 (-108)
- Over/Under: 226.5 (O: -107 | U: -115)
Nets at Celtics key injuries
Nets
- PG Ben Simmons (reconditioning) out
Celtics
- PF Robert Williams III (knee) out
[tipico]
Nets at Celtics picks and predictions
Prediction
Nets 118, Celtics 113
Money line
SPRINKLE on the NETS (+130) with the plan of hitting their spread harder because the only thing that’s different in Game 2 of this series will be KD’s production.
We cannot expect the Celtics (-160) to have the same success defending KD regardless of how good Boston’s defense has been this season. Durant averaged an efficient 29.0 points in 2 games versus the Celtics this season and 32.6 points in last season’s first-round playoff series with Boston.
Furthermore, I actually think Brooklyn has more depth than Boston, which is a point that hasn’t been made enough by the NBA community when previewing this series. Give me Nets guards Goran Dragic, Seth Curry and Patty Mills over Boston’s backup guards.
Again, only SPRINKLE on the NETS (+130), if at all, because Brooklyn’s spread is the sharper play.
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Against the spread
Definitely BET the NETS +3.5 (-112) instead of or heavier than their ML because, as we saw in Game 1, these are coin-flip games, and I’ll be tempted to bet either side getting 3 or more points.
Also, Brooklyn has been steamed down by a sharp line movement from being an opening 4-point underdog, and the Nets are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games versus teams with a 60.0% or better winning percentage.
The NETS PLUS THE POINTS is my favorite wager in this game.
Over/Under
LEAN OVER 226.5 (-107) because this feels like a trap line since most of the action is on the Over, but the total has been lowered from a 229-point opener down to the current number, according to Pregame.com.
That said, all four referees assigned to this game have officiated more Overs than Unders this season and free-throw attempt rate is my biggest factor in betting totals for NBA playoff games.
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