Nets vs Celtics Game 2 Odds, Spread & Picks
- The Nets vs Celtics Game 2 odds favor Boston by 3.5 points on Wednesday, April 20 at 7pm ET
- Boston leads the series 1-0 after a dramatic 115-114 victory in Game 1
- Read below for the Nets vs Celtics odds, analysis, and betting prediction
Most basketball experts predicted the Nets vs Celtics series would be the most intriguing matchup in the First Round. So far, they couldn’t have been more right.
Boston took Game 1 in dramatic fashion, getting a buzzer beating lay-up from Jayson Taytum to escape with a 115-114 victory. The series is chalk full of sub-plots, which we’ll explore more later, and oddsmakers are expecting another close battle in Game 2.
Nets vs Celtics Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Nets | +140 | +3.5 (-110) | O 226 (-110) |
| Boston Celtics | -160 | -3.5 (-110) | U 226 (-110) |
Odds as of April 19th from FanDuel Sportsbook
The Celtics opened up as a 3.5-point home favorite, in a contest that features a total of 226. Tip-off is scheduled for 7pm ET at TD Garden in Boston, MA, with TNT providing the broadcast coverage.
Boston began the series as a -130 favorite to advance to the Second Round, and that number has now been shortened to -220.
Nets vs Celtics Betting Analysis
Tatum’s buzzer beater, the first of his career, capped off another outstanding performance for the Celtics star. He finished with 31 points and eight assists, crossing the 30-point plateau for the 12th time in his past 18 games.
Jayson Tatum has been instilled with the mamba mentality ☘️ pic.twitter.com/hOd3Zx3kpd
— 𝙍𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙮 ☘️ (@CelticsRiley) April 19, 2022
Tatum has been especially effective against Brooklyn in 2022, putting up point totals of 31, 54 and 30 over his past three matchups with the Nets.
Jaylen Brown added 23 points for Boston, while Al Horford and Marcus Smart each put up 20 points a piece. Smart, who was named Defensive Player of the Year earlier this week, knocked down four threes and dealt a brilliant assist on the game-winning bucket.
JAYSON TATUM FOR THE WIN!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/WUr4UsaURk
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 17, 2022
Kyrie Irving led Brooklyn with 39 points against his former team, but his performance was overshadowed by this interaction with fans.
Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving also gave Boston Celtics fans at TD Garden the middle finger. 🖕🏾 #BKNvsBOS pic.twitter.com/G0v3DS4fyX
— Travis Jacque' Rose (@JacqueRoseTV) April 18, 2022
Irving has since been fined $50,000 for the gesture, which he claimed was his way of showing the fans the same type of energy they were giving him.
Irving was able to be such a force offensively in Game 1 thanks to the extra defensive attention Kevin Durant drew. KD was fronted and saw extra help repeatedly, which limited his driving opportunities. The result was a 9-for-24 shooting performance, and it’s nearly impossible for Brooklyn to be successful if Durant is that inefficient.
Kevin Durant tonight:
▫️23 PTS (on 23 shots)
▫️4 REB
▫️3 AST▫️6 TOV
▫️37.5 FG%
▫️20.0 3P%
▫️-13 (team was +12 without him)Got outplayed by 4 Celtics starters. pic.twitter.com/Sf54vYbO9N
— HaterMuse (@HaterMuse) April 17, 2022
Don’t expect things to get any easier for KD and the Nets on offense in Game 2 as Boston is as good as it gets defensively. The Celtics led the NBA in defensive rating this season, and forced 16 Brooklyn turnovers in Game 1.
Boston was even more dominant inside, outrebounding the Nets by 14 and outscoring them 56-32 in the paint. The dominance down low comes on the heels of Bruce Brown claiming the Celtics would be vulnerable at that end of the court without Robert Williams III.
Nets vs Celtics Pick
Speaking of Boston’s starting center, he’s the only Celtics player on the injury report with a knee injury. He’s likely to miss the entire First Round, while the Nets are hoping Ben Simmons could be ready soon after being cleared for contact.
Steve Nash says Ben Simmons has been cleared for contact. He got some 4-on-4 work in yesterday. Nash said he came through it well.
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) April 19, 2022
His return can’t come quickly enough for Brooklyn who is essentially a two-man show at this point. The Nets started the series with +650 NBA Championship odds, but that number has already been lengthened to +1400. Their lack of depth is a major issue at this point, while the Celtics continue to pile up wins.
WHAT A FINISH pic.twitter.com/wxrdLZ7SuQ
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 17, 2022
Boston is now 29-7 since January 22nd, which is easily the best record in the NBA during that stretch. They’ve beaten Brooklyn four straight times and there’s no reason to think that’s going to change on Wednesday. Sure, they failed to cover in Game 1, but they were 4-0 ATS in their four previous outings, covering by an average of 16.8 points.
The Nets on the other hand, are just 3-7 against the spread over their last 10 contests, and 1-3 ATS versus Boston in their past four meetings.
Pick: Boston Celtics -3.5 (-110)
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As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
