The 2022 NBA Playoffs First Round continues Monday, April 25, with the Eastern Conference battle at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, so we bring you the best Celtics vs. Nets betting pick, tips, and odds.
Brooklyn hosts Boston for Game 4, and the Celtics have a chance to sweep the Nets. Boston is listed as a 2-point road underdog on Caesars Sportsbook, while the Nets are -130 moneyline favorites with a total of 220.0 points.
The Celtics torture the Nets on the back of their defense
The Boston Celtics (54-31; 45-38-2 ATS) extended their winning streak over the Nets to six games with a 109-103 victory in Game 3 of this series this past Saturday. Playing as 4-point road underdogs, the Celtics put on another strong defensive performance and forced Brooklyn into a whopping 21 turnovers.
“More of the same,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. “We’re making it tough.”
Boston scored 37 points off turnovers and 25 fast-break points. The Celtics played excellent defense on both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, while Jayson Tatum led the way on the other side of the ball, accounting for 39 points, six rebounds, five assists, and six steals.
Tatum has averaged 29.7 points and 8.0 assists over the previous three contests. The Celtics have scored 118.6 per 100 possessions throughout this series while surrendering 114.5 in a return.
KD and Kyrie continue to struggle
The Brooklyn Nets (45-41; 33-50-3 ATS) are one loss away from the elimination. They trailed for most of Game 3 despite shooting 50.6% from the field and 41.4% from beyond the arc (12-for-29). As I’ve mentioned above, the Nets turned the ball over 21 times, and their best players had another bad day in the office.
Kevin Durant took only 11 attempts from the field, finishing with 16 points, eight boards, eight assists, and five turnovers. Kyrie Irving went 6-for-17 from the field and 0-for-7 from beyond the 3-point line, accounting for 16 points and nine assists, while Bruce Brown led the charge with 26 points on 10-for-19 shooting from the field.
The Nets are turning the ball over on 18 percent of their possessions. KD is tallying only 22.0 points per contest on 36.5% shooting from the field, while Kyrie is adding 21.7 points and 5.3 assists a night. This duo will have to improve a lot if the Nets want to avoid a sweep in the first-round playoff series.
Trends:
Boston:
- 6-1 ATS in the last seven games
- 4-1-1 ATS in the last six games overall
- 5-0 ATS in the last five games on the road
Brooklyn:
- 1-4 in the last five games overall
- 1-7 ATS in the last eight games at home
Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets Pick
I was pretty sure the Celtics will win the first two games at home, but I got burned on the Nets in Game 3. Frankly, I’m disappointed with both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and this Brooklyn team doesn’t deserve to get a single victory in the first round.
Hereof, I’m going with the Celtics in Game 4. If they continue to play aggressive defense, the Celtics will sweep the Nets and earn a few extra days to rest ahead of the semifinals. On the other side, Brooklyn has struggled on the defensive end all season long.
Pick: Take Brooklyn Nets -3.5 at -110
The Total:
The Celtics managed to slow down the pace in this matchup, so the teams are averaging only 94.7 possessions per 48 minutes. The Nets desperately need to make more stops and push the ball in transition, but that’s going to be a tall task against this Boston team.
The under is 10-3 in Brooklyn’s last 13 games overall, while the over is 11-4 in Boston’s previous 15 outings at any location. I lean the under, but the totals could easily go either way.
Pick: Go under 220.0 points at -110
