Eastern Conference leaders the Boston Celtics make the trip to Barclays Center, New York on Tuesday night as they square off against the Brooklyn Nets. This will be the first of back-to-back meetings between the two teams.
Joe Mazzulla’s Celtics have controlled the conference thus far, boasting a 41-12 record. They are looking to pick up their fifth successive win here, and will be searching to build on their run of six straight road victories too.
The Nets managed to curtail a three-game losing streak with a 123-103 win at home to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, but they still sit outside of the play-in places in the Eastern Conference with a record of 21-31.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET tonight, and Points Bet have the visitors listed as 9-point favorites. According to the oddsmakers, it would be a surprise if the Nets were able to find a win since they are priced at +300 on the moneyline. Let’s get into today’s analysis and best bet for the game!
Last Time Out
Having lost just two of their last 11 matchups, the Celtics are very much deserving of the label of the NBA’s best team. Boston secured their fourth successive triumph in their last outing, too, defeating the Miami Heat 110-106 in Florida. Stars Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porziņģis and Jaylen Brown all put up at least 20 points each as well.
Brooklyn still has the opportunity to close the gap on the 10th-seeded Atlanta Hawks, but they must show an improvement if they want to reach the play-in come April. They have lost four of their last six matchups, including four of their last five at Barclays Center. However, they managed to return to winning ways last time out with a comfortable win over the Spurs.
Injuries & Team News
Leading up to the trade deadline, Boston made some savvy moves to strengthen the depth of their roster. That saw them acquire forward Xavier Tillman Sr. and guard Jaden Springer. However, the pair are expected to be sidelined for tonight’s game. The Celtics also have a key player in question in the form of center Porziņģis who is dealing with a back issue.
The hosts made some moves before the deadline as well, trading for guard Dennis Schroder and forward Keita Bates-Diop. That has helped improve their depth, especially since the injury report is improving. Dariq Whitehead and Cameron Johnson are the only casualties for Brooklyn in this one. Day’Ron Sharpe and Dorian Finney-Smith have recently returned to the team.
Head-to-Head
The Celtics are leading the series 2-0 this season, securing comprehensive victories back in November. They won in New York by a 10-point margin before sealing a 121-107 triumph back at home at TD Garden.
Recent history doesn’t bode well at all for tonight’s hosts. They have suffered seven straight defeats when playing the Celtics on their own court, and haven’t beaten them at Barclays Center since the 2021 playoffs.
Betting Trends & Stats
The Nets will have to try and contain a prosperous Boston offense that is averaging the 5th-most points per game across the NBA (120.4). Brooklyn has been pretty average both offensively and defensively. The Celtics are also incredibly well-balanced and are allowing the 7th-least ppg (111.0).
Despite the Celtics boasting the best point differential in the league (9.4), they have been below average at covering the spread this season, with an ATS record of 24-27-2. They are also covering in just 42.9% of games when they are away favorites too.
Brooklyn has only marginally been better ATS than their opponents with a record of 24-26-2. However, they have covered well at home (15-12-2). This does drop to 6-9-2 as home underdogs though.
Key Players
All-Star forward, Tatum enters the game in great shape and is averaging 27.6 ppg over his last five. He’s the team leading points scorer this season (27.0), and has been supported well by the likes of Brown (22.0) and Porziņģis (20.4).
If the Latvian center is unable to feature tonight, it will be a big loss. He has scored 25+ points in each of his last four outings, and leads the team in blocks (1.9). However, veteran backup Al Horford is more than capable of filling in if needed.
The home team will be leaning on the abilities of Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas who are averaging 21.8 and 21.4 ppg this season respectively. Nevertheless, the pair have only hit 20+ points a combined total of three times over their last four games. Center Nic Claxton will be key defensively since he is averaging 10.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.
Best Bet
Although the Nets looked good against the Spurs, San Antonio is the worst team in the Western Conference. Brooklyn has failed to beat stronger opposition of late, and the Celtics are the best team in the league.
Boston has enough talent across its roster to comfortably win here, even without Porziņģis. Considering the spread is still reading single digits, we’re expecting them to be able to cover, with Tatum leading the charge.
Boston Celtics -9 (-110 with Points Bet)