The Boston Celtics won’t be swept in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Brooklyn Nets and can even this opening-round NBA Playoffs set with a win in Game 4 at TD Garden on Sunday.
After getting rolled in the opening two contests in Brooklyn, the Celtics exploded for a 125-119 victory as 7-point home underdogs on Friday. The NBA betting odds have Boston set around that same spread for Sunday’s showdown.
Here are our free NBA picks and predictions for Nets vs. Celtics on May 30.
Nets vs Celtics game info
• Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Date: Sunday, May 30, 2021
• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: TNT
Nets vs Celtics odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
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NBA Sharp Money and Line Movement Report
By Patrick EversonDraftKings Sportsbook is taking in 89 percent of the handle on Brooklyn -7.5, with 83 percent of the tickets going towards the Nets. The Over 228.5 is similar more than 4/1 action, with 83 percent of both the handle and tickets on a high-scoring game. Brooklyn moneyline (-305) is almost running at a 9/1 count.
Check out the full line movement for this gameNets vs Celtics series odds
Nets: -4,000
Celtics: +1,260
Nets vs Celtics betting preview
Injuries
Nets: Jeff Green F (Out).
Celtics: Kemba Walker G (Doubtful), Robert Williams C (Doubtful), Jaylen Brown G (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Boston is 21-8 ATS in its last 29 games as a home underdog. Find more NBA betting trends for Nets vs. Celtics.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
After looking unstoppable on offense in the opening two games, the Nets scoring attack sputtered in Game 3 with a switch in venue and a change in defensive intensity from the Celtics. The Nets got 80 combined points from James Harden and Kevin Durant but just 39 collective points from the rest of the team, including 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting from Kyrie Irving.
Boston played solid team defense and disrupted Brooklyn’s offensive flow. After recording 31 assists on 130 points in Game 2, Brooklyn had only 16 dimes on 119 points in Friday’s loss, as the C’s plugged the passing lanes and dismantled the Nets’ pick-and-roll plays. Boston also bullied BK on the boards, out-rebounding the Nets 46-37 with 13 offensive rebounds, which led to 13 second-chance points.
Brooklyn did jump out to a 19-4 lead in Game 3 but that early edge wasn’t the only thing it gave away. The Nets let the momentum swing in favor of the Celtics and watched their newfound defensive prowess go down the drain with it. Granted, that spike in defensive efficiency was more on Boston’s stagnant scoring approach in the first two games.
Jayson Tatum outshone Brooklyn’s stars with a 50-point effort on 16-of-30 shooting, including five makes from beyond the arc. While Tatum hit some tough contested shots, he took advantage of Brooklyn’s missing cog on the defensive end, veteran forward Jeff Green, who sat Game 3 with a foot injury and will likely be out the rest of the series. Tatum not only lit up the scoreboard but also helped create chances, recording seven assists in Friday’s victory.
Outside of Game 2, the Celtics have done a good job keeping the Nets within reach. They beat Brooklyn in the first half of Game 1 — before imploding to lose 57-40 in the final 24 minutes — and overcame a bad start and held off a late push in Game 3. While Boston may not win Game 4 it will stay within the 7.5-point spread at home, owning a 21-8 ATS mark in its last 29 games getting the points inside the Garden.
PREDICTION: Boston +7.5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
We were skeptical of the Nets’ defensive 180 in the opening two games of this series. While Brooklyn was forcing mistakes and getting a hand up on shooters, it was tough to think this zebra had changed its black and white stripes after posting a defensive rating of 113.1 in the regular season (22nd).
Expect another big effort from Tatum against Brooklyn in Game 4. Boston’s two biggest wins of the season — Game 3 versus Nets and play-in game versus Wizards — came with him dropping 50 points. Tatum is a home/away player, watching his field goal percentage, 3-point shooting and overall offensive output significantly spike back in Boston (27.3 ppg on 48% shooting home vs. 25.5 ppg on 44% shooting on away).
If the Nets are going to avoid giving this series over to the Celtics, Irving has to block out the hostile Boston crowd and the rest of the guys — not named Durant or Harden — need to make some shots. That said, Brooklyn was bad in Game 3 but still made a game of it in the second half and posted 119 points, getting just 14-for-42 shooting beyond Durant and Harden.
I’m much more confident in Brooklyn working out the creases on offense than buying into its limited defensive prowess in the postseason. The Nets face another sub-230 total in Game 4 and have gone 22-10 Over/Under versus NBA betting totals of less than 230 points this season.
PREDICTION: Over 228.5 (-110)
Player prop pick
Tristan Thompson rebounded in more ways than one after a no-show in Game 1 of this series.
The Celtics’ center has recorded stat lines of 15 points/11 rebounds in Game 2 and 19 points/13 rebounds in Game 3, beating up Brooklyn in the interior and giving Boston plenty of extra possessions thanks to 17 total offensive boards in those games.
Brooklyn has posted a rebound rate of just 48.4 percent for the series and just 43.9 percent last time out. That’s allowed Boston to wrangle 30 second-chance points the past two games, including 13 in Game 3.
Losing Green in the frontcourt has also forced Nets head coach Steve Nash to play second-year forward Nic Claxton more, and the veteran Thompson has pushed him around. Brooklyn won’t double Thompson down low, out of fear of leaving one of Boston’s other weapons open, so the 6-foot-9 Canadian will keep grinding away on Sunday.
PREDICTION: Tristan Thompson points + rebounds Over 21.5 (-113)
Nets vs Celtics betting card
- Boston +7.5 (-110)
- Over 228.5 (-110)
- Tristan Thompson points + rebounds Over 21.5 (-113)
Picks made on 5/30/2021 at 8:56 a.m. ET
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