The Nets haven’t just survived without Kyrie Irving, they’ve thrived, winning five of their last six games. They’re big road underdogs against a banged-up Boston Celtics squad, so betters may actually want to look at the Kyrie-less Nets as a sneaky play on Wednesday.
- Brooklyn Nets vs Boston Celtics (Matchup Report)
- Date/Time: November 27, 7 p.m. ET
- TV Coverage: ESPN
- Sportsbook Odds: Boston -8 | O/U 225 (Line History)
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Despite their strong play without Kyrie Irving, the Nets still opened as 8-point road underdogs to the Celtics. This line does assume Kemba Walker plays, as he was labeled probable for the contest. If he does not play, expect the line to slide a little closer in Brooklyn’s favor.
Brooklyn News & Notes
The Nets have now played six straight games without leading scorer Kyrie Irving, but they’ve actually had their best stretch of the season in his absence.
Brooklyn is 5-1 since Irving was sidelined with a shoulder injury, with its latest win a 108-106 victory over Cleveland. Guard Spencer Dinwiddie had a game-high 23 points and has been stellar filling in for Irving, averaging 24.9 points per game during this stretch.
The Nets have also gotten a boost up front as center Jarrett Allen has picked up his play of late, including a 20-point, 21-rebound effort against the Cavaliers.
Irving will also sit out Wednesday’s opener of a home-and-home with Boston, so Dinwiddie, Allen and company will need to keep up their great play against one of the Eastern Conference’s premier teams.
Boston News & Notes
The Celtics had a tough West Coast road trip, losing three of their last four games, but they returned home Monday and beat Sacramento 103-102 to snap their first two-game skid of the season.
It was an impressive win, considering Boston was playing without three of its regular starters: while Gordon Hayward remains sidelined with a broken hand, center Daniel Theis was sick and leading scorer Kemba Walker sat out following a neck sprain.
Walker has been listed as probable for Wednesday’s game against Brooklyn, but if he cannot go, expect rising young stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to continue shouldering the scoring load against a Nets squad that allows the 11th-most points per game.
Betting Pick: Nets +8
Five of the Celtics’ last six games were decided by five points or less; they play a lot of close games, so I’ll take Brooklyn to cover an 8-point spread.
- Brooklyn is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in each of Boston’s last 6 games.
- Brooklyn is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games vs Boston.
