The Boston Celtics (36-15 SU, 25-25-1 ATS) and Brooklyn Nets (31-19, 26-24) collide at TD Garden on Wednesday with both teams looking to stay in the win column.
Boston opened as the big 8.5-point favorite at home with the total set at 230.5 points. The Celtics have won nine straight games against Brooklyn, giving them a significant edge in this matchup, with the Nets going 0-5 ATS in the last five meetings. Meanwhile, the UNDER is 4-1 in the last five contests between the two teams.
Latest Betting Notes: Nets
The Nets earned their second straight win, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 121-104 on Monday. Kyrie Irving had 26 points to lead Brooklyn while Patty Mills and Cam Thomas had 21 points each in the win. Thomas Bryant netted 18 points to top Los Angeles with both LeBron James and Anthony Davis out of the lineup.
Brooklyn continues to play without two key starters in Kevin Durant (knee) and Ben Simmons (knee), but the Nets have held their own over the last couple of weeks, going 4-2 in their last six contests. Irving, of course, has been the driving force in Durant’s absence, leading the team in scoring in eight of the last 11 games.
Latest Betting Notes: Celtics
The Celtics snapped a three-game skid on Saturday as they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 125-121 in overtime. Jaylen Brown led the way with 37 points, with his game-tying three-point play in the final seconds of regulation forcing the extra period. Jayson Tatum had a strong night as well with 30 points and 11 rebounds.
It was surprisingly the Celtics’ lackluster offense that let them down during their three-game losing streak as the team averaged just 103.3 points per game over that span – about 14 points less than their season average. Tatum and Brown have been scoring consistently, though, averaging 31.3 and 26.8 points per game, respectively, through January.
Nets Player Prop: Irving OVER 33 Points (+140)
With Durant and Simmons still sidelined, it goes without saying that most of the pressure will fall on Irving’s shoulders to keep Brooklyn’s offense chugging along. The point guard was hot in January, scoring 29.5 points per game and hitting the 30-point mark in six of his last seven contests.
As you might’ve guessed, Irving has been getting even more looks with Durant out as he took 22.2 field-goal attempts per game in January – two more than his rate in December and six more than in November. With the lights shining bright on this matchup at TD Garden, expect another big game out of Irving.
Celtics Player Prop: Tatum OVER 33 Points (+118)
Like Irving, Tatum was on an absolute heater in January, scoring 30-plus points in nine of his last 11 games while sprinkling in a 51-point performance against the Charlotte Hornets on January 16 for good measure.
Another factor that could help Tatum hit the OVER on Wednesday is that Brooklyn’s normally solid defense has been pretty shaky, allowing 121.5 points per game over its last four contests. If that trend continues, there’s a pretty good chance that the Celtics star will be able to drop at least 33 points.
