It doesn’t get any better than a Christmas Day full of NBA betting, and smack in the middle of Friday’s quintuple-header is the Brooklyn Nets taking on the Boston Celtics.
Both teams head into this game after earning solid season-opening victories, but the Nets looked impressive enough in a win over the Golden State Warriors to be favored here, despite the Celtics defeating the Milwaukee Bucks.
Can the Celtics earn a second-straight upset win at home? Find out with our Nets vs. Celtics picks and predictions, tipping off Friday, Dec 25 at 5:00 p.m. ET.
Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics Betting Preview
Key Injuries
Nets: No injuries to report.
Celtics: Kemba Walker G (out)
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting Trend to Know
The Celtics are 17-4 ATS in their last 21 games as home underdogs. Find more NBA betting trends for Nets vs. Celtics.
Against the Spread (ATS) Pick
The Nets weren’t met with much resistance on opening night, as they had a 40-25 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back. Kyrie Irving scored 26 points on only 16 shots in that game, while Kevin Durant had 22 on 7-of-16 shooting. Both players were quite efficient for Brooklyn, but it’ll be interesting to see just how easy it looks against the Celtics.
Boston will likely throw Marcus Smart on Irving in this one, as he is the team’s best point-of-attack defender. Irving has a massive speed advantage in that matchup, but Smart is physical enough to agitate him, especially in a game where Irving will already be on edge. Don’t forget that he did sage TD Garden during the preseason.
Meanwhile, the Celtics will switch off throwing Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on Durant. Neither guy is capable of fully shutting KD down — he’s one of the Top-5 scorers in league history — but they should be able to make life somewhat difficult for him.
On the other end of the floor, I think Jeff Teague will be the X-factor for Boston. Teague had 19 points for the Celtics in a season-opening win over the Bucks, and he should similarly dissect the Nets as a pick-and-roll handler. Irving’s defense is not his bread and butter, and DeAndre Jordan is no longer switchable on the perimeter, at all. That means Teague should have some open looks and lanes to the basket.
I think the Celtics will take care of business in this one, which means it could be worth sprinkling a little on the moneyline.
PREDICTION: Celtics +3.0 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
Regardless of who ends up coming out on top in this one, I do think there will be a lot of points scored in this game. Boston’s win over Milwaukee saw 243 total points on the scoreboard, and Brooklyn hung an effortless 125 on Golden State Tuesday night. Both of these teams are wired to put the ball in the hoop, and it’s just hard to imagine them not hitting at least the 230-mark in this one.
PREDICTION: Over 227.5 (-110)
Player Prop Pick
Joe Harris hit two threes in 21 minutes against the Warriors, but he should play closer to 30 in this one. He launched five triples in the opener, but he’ll get even more off here. Also, if Smart does end up spending most of his time on Irving, that would mean that Teague sees a good chunk of minutes on Harris.
Teague still has a lot of juice left offensively, but he’s not great on the other end. He’ll likely lose Harris a couple of times, and Harris can shoot over the top of him anyway. This just seems like great value.
PREDICTION: Joe Harris Over 2.5 Threes (+134)
Nets vs Celtics Betting Card
- Celtics +3.0 (-110)
- Over 227.5 (-110)
- Joe Harris Over 2.5 Threes (+134)
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