The Nets grabbed some headlines during the All-Star break, as the team was able to bring in Blake Griffin, a former six-time All-Star. Now, Brooklyn will have a chance to make a quick statement with a win over the Celtics on Thursday, March 11. The game will tip at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Will Boston spoil Griffin’s welcome party and earn a big road win in this one? Let’s find out with our Celtics vs. Nets picks and predictions.
Boston Celtics at Brooklyn Nets betting preview
Injuries
Celtics: G Marcus Smart (Probable), SG Romeo Langford (Out).
Nets: F Kevin Durant (Out), F Blake Griffin (Questionable), F Jeff Green (Questionable), G Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (Questionable).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Celtics are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games against winning teams. Find more NBA betting trends for Celtics vs. Nets.
NBA sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonBrooklyn opened -3.5 Wednesday afternoon at PointsBet USA, fell as low as -2 early this afternoon and is -2.5 at 4:30 p.m. ET. Still, point-spread action is almost all Nets. "Eighty-six percent of tickets and 91 percent of money on Brooklyn," PointsBet's Wyatt Yearout said. The total opened at 234 and hit 234.5 a couple of times, but is now down to 232, with ticket count 2/1 on the Over, but money 2/1 on the Under.
Check out the full line movement for this gameAgainst the spread (ATS) pick
Marcus Smart hasn’t played for the Celtics since January 30 and there’s no denying that Boston can use a little juice right now. Smart is the heart and soul of the team, so his return couldn’t possibly come at a better time. He also happens to be coming back to face what might be the best team in the Eastern Conference, so he’ll be turned all the way up for this one. Look for Smart’s energy to be a huge difference-maker here, as he’ll be putting his body on the line to make plays, and he’ll also do a good job with whatever defensive assignment he takes.
Brooklyn earned a 123-95 victory when these teams met back in December, but that was a game in which Kevin Durant played. Durant is still out with a hamstring injury, but the Nets do now have James Harden. However, the Nets won’t have all the guys they sent out in that trade, and that depth was a big part of the reason that Brooklyn won the first meeting between these teams. This time around, the Celtics are the team with the deeper group of contributors.
Also, Kemba Walker didn’t start playing until January, so he wasn’t out there in the first meeting either. Walker started slowly when he returned to the floor, but he was picking it up before the All-Star break. With Kyrie Irving guarding him, he should be able to get it going in this one. Overall, the Celtics match up well with the Nets when Durant isn’t playing. And they should be the more motivated team in this one.
PREDICTION: Celtics +2.5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
The first meeting between these teams went Under the total, but Boston shot 37.8 percent from the floor and 29.6 percent from the outside in that game. The Celtics are bound to shoot better in this one, especially with the Nets being a weak defensive team. Meanwhile, the Nets are a juggernaut offensively, with or without Durant on the court. They should be able to score against a Boston team that has taken a step back defensively this season.
PREDICTION: Over 234.0 (-110)
Player prop pick
As previously mentioned, Walker has a good matchup with Irving likely to spend a lot of time guarding him. Both of these guys are going to get theirs in a game like this, so it’s a bit surprising to see Walker’s point total sitting below 20. This is great value for a player that had scored 21 or more in four of the five games heading into the All-Star break.
PREDICTION: Kemba Walker Over 19.5 Points (-106)
Celtics vs Nets betting card
- Celtics +3.0 (-110)
- Over 234.0 (-110)
- Kemba Walker Over 19.5 Points (-106)
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