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Celtics NBA Championship & Eastern Conference Odds Shorten After Taking 2-0 Series Lead on Nets

John Perrotto

by John Perrotto in NBA Basketball

Updated Apr 21, 2022 · 7:40 AM PDT

Smart celebrates
Apr 20, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Fans cheer after Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) made a three point basket as Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash (left) calls timeout during the fourth quarter of game two of the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
  • The Celtics hold a 2-0 lead over the Nets in their Eastern Conference first-round series
  • With a win in Game 2, the Celtics’ NBA championship odds dropped to +600 from +750
  • A deeper look at the odds of the Celtics and Nets can be found below with wagering advice

The Boston Celtics have taken control of their Eastern Conference first-round series with the Brooklyn Nets and their odds to win the NBA title are getting shorter.

The Celtics’ NBA championship odds are now listed at +600 as they attempt to win it all for the first time since 2008. Their odds were +750 before rallying for a 114-107 victory in Game 2 on Wednesday night at home in TD Garden to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The Nets’ odds to win the NBA title went from +1200 before the game to +2000.

Meanwhile, the Celtics’ Eastern Conference odds lowered from +300 to +240 while the Nets’ odds grew from +600 to +1100.

2022 NBA Championship Odds

Team Odds
Phoenix Suns +340
Golden State Warriors +370
Boston Celtics +600
Miami Heat +600
Milwaukee Bucks +600
Philadelphia 76ers +1200
Memphis Grizzlies +1300
Brooklyn Nets +2000

Odds as of April 21st at FanDuel.

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Celtics Take Control

The No. 2-seed Celtics are clearly in the driver’s seat against the No. 7 Nets following the two wins at TD Garden.

After winning the series opener 115-114 on Sunday on Jayson Tatum’s layup at the buzzer on Marcus Smart’s pass, the Celtics took Game 2 with a big comeback. They rallied from being 17 points down in the second quarter.

Jaylen Brown led the way for the Celtics with 22 points, 10 coming in the fourth quarter when Boston outscored the Nets 29-17 to wipe out a 90-85 deficit after three periods.

Tatum added 19 points, Al Horford had 16, Daniel Theis chipped in with 15 and Payton Pritchard scored eight of his 10 in the final period.

The balanced scoring complemented a strong defensive effort by the Celtics.

In Game 1, the Celtics had four players score at least 20 points – Tatum (31), Brown (23), Horford (20) and Smart (20).

Nets Superstars Shut Down

The Celtics put the clamps on the Nets’ two superstars, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, in Game 2. The duo went 1 for 17 from the field in the second half.

Durant finished with 27 points but did most of his damage at the foul line. He was just 4 of 17 on field goal attempts while going 18 for 20 on free throws.

Durant went just 9 for 24 in the series opener as he scored 23 points. Kyrie Irving, the target of jeers from the opening tipoff on Wednesday, also struggled.

He was limited to 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting and it was just the fifth time in 72 career playoff games that the seven-time All-Star failed to register at least 11 points.

Irving, though, did score 39 points in the Game 1. That performance was overshadowed by him making obscene gestures and using foul language toward the fans, resulting in a $50,000 fine from the NBA.

Bruce Brown finished with 23 points in Game 2 while Goran Dragic contributed 18 and Seth Curry chipped in with 16.

What’s Coming in Brooklyn

The series shifts to Brooklyn and the Barclays Center on Saturday night for Game 3.

The Nets are just 21-21 straight-up at home and an abysmal 9-32-1 against the spread this season. The Celtics are 23-18 on the road SU and a profitable 25-15-1 ATS.

Game 4 is scheduled for Monday in Brooklyn. If more games are necessary, the rest of the schedule has Game 5 on April 27 in Boston, Game 6 on April 29 in Brooklyn, and Game 7 on May 1 at Boston.

The Celtics were also 3-1 against the Nets in the regular season, including winning two blowouts in Brooklyn – 126-91 on Feb. 8 and 129-106 on Feb. 24. However, Durant and Irving missed both games.

The numbers say it’s unlikely the Nets can turn this series around and win four out of five games from the Celtics. Boston’s run of 17 wins in its last 21 games only makes the task that much more difficult for Brooklyn.

The Celtics are playing so well that it might be wise to put wagers on them to win the Eastern Conference and Finals before their odds grow even shorter.

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