Celtics vs. Nets Betting Odds, Preview, and Predictions

The Boston Celtics (34-26, 29-29-2 ATS) hit the road on Thursday night to take on the Brooklyn Nets (31-28, 22-36-1 ATS). Boston is looking to bounce back after a pre-All-Star break loss to the Detroit Pistons, while the Nets are hoping to grind out a win without some of their core pieces.

According to the online sports book Betonline.ag, the Boston Celtics are 9-point favorites:

• Point Spread: Boston Celtics -9
• Over-Under: 214.5 points
• Money line: Boston Celtics -400, Denver Nuggets +320

Injury Report

There are no players listed on the Celtics’ injury report ahead of the game. Both Marcus Smart and Robert Williams are expected to play.

The Nets will be without five players – Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, Joe Harris, and newly-signed guard Goran Dragic.

Predicted Starting Lineups

Boston Celtics

G: Derrick White

G: Jaylen Brown

F: Jayson Tatum

F: Grant Williams

C: Al Horford

Brooklyn Nets

G: Patty Mills

G: Seth Curry

F: Bruce Brown Jr.

F: Kessler Edwards

C: Andre Drummond

Boston Celtics Overview

Before their loss to the Pistons, the Celtics had won a season-high nine games in a row. Their loss in Detroit was a rough one, but in the grand scheme of things, they have looked like a bonafide playoff team over the last couple of months. It’s been their elite defense that has gotten them to this point, and that will be the thing that keeps them chugging along for the rest of the season.

At their practice on Wednesday, Ime Udoka said that they were treating it more as training camp, rather than practice. They wanted to refresh everyone’s minds of what was making them so successful before the All-Star break. And now that Smart and Williams are supposed to return, the team will be at full health once again.

Brooklyn Nets Overview

Brooklyn is 2-8 in their last ten games, and it’s in large part due to their injuries. Durant has been out for a long time, Irving still can’t play home games (yet), and before the trade, James Harden was completely checked out. Now, they just have to wait for the rest of their squad to get healthy before being considered one of the top threats in the Eastern Conference once again.

And at that point, it will be hard to tell where they stand. Obviously, any team with Durant on it is bound to do well. He was having an MVP-caliber season before going down with an injury. But now Brooklyn will be forced to integrate players such as Simmons, Dragic, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond into the mix in the middle of the season. While great players usually figure it out, it will still take a little bit of time to do so.

Prediction

The Celtics cannot treat this game like the Pistons game. When they came out in Detroit, it was clear that their head wasn’t in it from the jump. They got too caught up in the upcoming All-Star break and let a subpar Pistons team out-hustle them. It was as simple as that. But now that they are back to the grind, their mindset should be back in the right place as well. This injured Nets team should not give them any trouble.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown need to establish themselves as the offensive threats they are fully capable of being. Before the break, both of them were having nights where things got sloppy. Now that the Celtics are facing the final stretch of the season, it’s time for Tatum and Brown to start bringing it every single night.

Lastly, the defense needs to come to play. In the weeks leading up to the All-Star break, Boston had the best defense in the league by a wide margin. It’s never been more clear what their identity is, and it’s on the defensive side of the floor. If they want any chance at making a run in the playoffs this year, they need to be constantly locked in on the defensive side of the ball. And that starts now.