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The Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics will face off in Game 2 of their first-round series on Wednesday. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Nets-Celtics pick.
Game 1 of this series was an instant classic. The Celtics maintained a strong lead throughout the contest, but a massive fourth quarter from Brooklyn stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving made things close. It took a game-winner from Boston's Jayson Tatum for the Celtics to defend their home court.
Wednesday's game should be similarly exciting, so let's cut to the chase and get into the pick.
Here are the Nets-Celtics NBA playoff odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Playoff Odds: Nets-Celtics Odds
Brooklyn Nets: +3.5 (-106)
Boston Celtics: -3.5 (-114)
Over: 226 (-110)
Under: 226 (-110)
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Why The Nets Could Cover The Spread
Despite the close score, the Nets didn't play particularly well in Game 1. Four of their five starters had a negative plus-minus on Sunday, with only Irving earning a positive mark. Durant struggled in particular, shooting only 9-of-24 from the field and 1-of-5 from three-point range. Even with Durant and the starters playing poorly, Brooklyn nearly managed to pull off a road upset. Durant's off game was an anomaly, and an improvement from him should lead to a massive improvement for the Nets overall. If both Durant and Irving play the way we all know they can, Brooklyn should tie this series up.
The Nets have been solid against the spread in games like this one. They didn't enter very many contests as underdogs during the regular season, but earned a 15-11-1 record against the spread when they did. That record improves to 11-6-1 ATS when Brooklyn played as road underdogs. The Celtics didn't fare well as home favorites this season, earning a 16-22-1 record against the spread.
After nearly stealing Game 1, this looks like another great spot to pick the Nets.
Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread
The Celtics showed why they're one of the best matchups in the league for the Nets in Game 1. Tatum and Jaylen Brown did an amazing job guarding Durant for a majority of the day, and Marcus Smart held down Irving until the fourth quarter. This team's toughness, size and defensive versatility will allow them to continue to pester the Nets defensively. While it's likely Durant bounces back, it's unlikely that Irving is able to play as well as he did on Sunday against a defense like Boston's, spearheaded by Smart, the newly-minted Defensive Player of the Year.
Expect a decent showing on defense at the very least from Boston.
Home-court advantage will help the Celtics again here. They went 28-13 at home on the season, showing just how important playing at TD Garden is to them. The fans were absolutely insane in the first matchup, showering the Nets with boos and a variety of unrepeatable chants. Irving was fined for giving a single-finger salute to the crowd, showing the impact of the fans. Boston is notorious for owning one of the league's best home-court advantages, and that won't change in this hotly contested series.
Final Nets-Celtics Prediction & Pick
This is another easy pick. The Nets just lost a heartbreaker, and it seems unlikely that Durant and Irving will let their team fall behind by two games. Brooklyn should cover in another tight contest that comes all the way down to the wire.
Final Nets-Celtics Prediction & Pick: Brooklyn Nets: +3.5 (-106)
