In the first game of the Eastern Quarter Finals, the Boston Celtics will host the Brooklyn Nets. The game will take place on 17 April at 10:30 PM (+3 UTC). The Celtics clasped the second spot in the East through a riveting second half of the season while the Nets notched the seventh spot through the Play-in tournament win. The duo of Durant and Irving can give trouble to the elite Celtics, will they be able to pull through?
Bet on Boston Celtics - Brooklyn Nets with 1xBet
Best bets on Celtics vs Nets
Total: Bookmakers from 22Bet suggest that Tota for Brooklyn Nets Over 110.5 has the odds of 1.93. The Celtics were the elitist defense in the second half of the season and they kept even elite teams below 105 many times, however, Center Robert Williams got injured and that did hurt the defense a bit. But Al Horford and Daniel Theis have gotten it done as the last line of defense while the defensive trio of Tatum, Brown, and Smart can give Irving and Durant trouble. I’d back the Celtics to keep the Nets Under the 110.5 mark. (Total 2 Under 110.5 for 1.98)
Player Props: Bookmakers at bet365 predict odds of 1.90 for Al Horford going Over 9.5 Rebounds here(At least 10 Rebounds). The defense of the Celtics can end up forcing a multitude of misses so Horford will have the chance to grab these many boards for sure. I’d take his rebounding total “Over” here. (Player Props: Player Rebounds: Al Horford Over 9.5)
Handicap: Bookmakers at 1xBet see the Celtics as the favorites considering they have the home-court advantage and finished second in the East. The handicap of -4.5 brings the odds of 2.01 in the favour of the Nets which suggests a close game. But I believe the Celtics will run away with this game here and can end up winning by 8+ points, still to be on the safe side, I’d suggest betting on the handicap of -5.5 that has the odds of 2.08. (Handicap 1 -5.5)
Where to Watch Celtics vs Nets
This game is available on the NBA League Pass.
Bet on Boston Celtics - Brooklyn Nets with 1xBet
Boston Celtics
The Celtics will revved up for this game considering they have the home-court advantage and attained great scoring balance by the end of the season, also improving their passing. Jaylen Brown took care of business when Tatum’s shooting was off, while Marcus Smart has had some impressive offensive outings too. However, the priority will be shutting down Irving and Durant on the other end and with their defense, the Celtics can at least take care of business at least against one of them. It will be crucial for the Celtics’ bigs Horford and Theis to close off shooting and driving lanes here in case the perimeter defense gets blitzed by the duo. But with their offensive talent, the Celtics will back themselves to prevail even in a high-scoring affair.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets will have to work the ball around against the Celtics and can’t have much iso-heavy offense considering how quickly the Celtics close out against perimeter shooters. Seth Curry will have some open looks considering the presence of Irving and Durant, which will attract an array of defenders, so he will have to knock his shots down. I don’t think the Nets can get away with playing Brown as the Center and will need Drummond for an extended period. The Celtics’ bench also features Williams and White, which does give them a bench edge over the Nets. Here, Irving and Durant both may need to go off for big nights considering that the Celtics have more offensive and defensive depth than the visitors.
Celtics vs Nets: possible lineups
- Celtics most likely starting five: PG: Marcus Smart | SG: Jaylen Brown | SF: Jayson Tatum| C: Al Horford | C: Daniel Theis;
- Nets most likely starting five: PG: Kyrie Irving | SG: Seth Curry | F: Bruce Brown | SF: Kevin Durant | C: Andre Drummond.
