Free NBA Pick: Nets vs. Celtics NBA Odds
Looking for Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics free NBA picks & NBA odds? NBA betting sees the Nets taking on the Celtics on Sunday, April 17th, 2022 at TD Garden. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NBA basketball matchups so stay tuned for more FREE daily NBA hoops predictions like this Nets Celtics matchup.
2022 NBA Playoffs Handicapping Round 1
(0-0) Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics (0-0)
Date: Sunday, April 17th
Time: 3:30 PM EST
Venue: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
NBA Moneyline Odds: Nets +156 | Celtics -159 (Bet Now!)
NBA Betting Odds: Celtics -4
NBA Betting Total: 224
Sunday, April 17th, 2022, the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics begin their first-round series. The Nets clinched the seventh seed winning the 7-8 play-in game versus the Cavaliers while the Celtics moved up the second seed on the final day of the season.
The Celtics won the season series 3-1 with victories on February 8th (126-91), 24th (129-106), and March 6th (126-120) while the Nets won on November 24th (123-104).
The Celtics hold the advantage all-time having won 134 times of the club’s 207 meetings however Brooklyn has the playoff edge having won all three prior series including the 2002 Conference Finals (4-2), 2003 Semi-Finals (4-0), and 2021 first round (4-1).
Brooklyn Nets
Although the Nets have showcased how utterly devastating they can be offensively with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving playing more like their NBA 2K characters there were hints this team isn’t as frightening as some would have you believe.
Against the Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving (34 points, 11 assists) and Kevin Durant (25 points, 12 assists) feasted shooting 21 of 31 or 67.7 percent from the field and 50 percent from the perimeter (cumulative 4 of 8).
Yet it wasn’t a blow-out victory and the Nets lost three of the four quarters and won by just seven points despite their superstars’ dominance. This was against the Cavaliers who didn’t have Jarrett Allen and who finished the season 6-13.
Their depth is lacking, the defense is porous, and they often lose interest in the match allowing teams to get back into the game.
The Nets are suggesting Ben Simmons (conditioning) who has never played a minute with his new team may make his debut mid-series. Joe Harris (ankle) is out for the season.
Boston Celtics
There was plenty of jockeying for position going on in the final week of the season with the defending champion Bucks winning the coveted third seed.
Typically teams prefer to get the higher seed but with the Bulls reeling the third seed became the most appealing. It meant likely avoiding the Nets in the first round and then getting to play the winner of whoever came out of the two-seven series.
With the Heat secure in first, Milwaukee won three games in a row, including a game versus the Celtics to pull ahead of both Boston and Philly, and that allowed them to rest their entire core on the final game of the season.
That move put pressure on head coach Ime Udoka to make a decision on whether his squad would gun for the victory knowing it could mean drawing the Nets in the first round.
Making things a bit more difficult was the fact Boston could fall all the way to fourth and be in a situation of having to play the Raptors in round one, the Heat in round two then one of the Sixers, Nets, or Bucks in the Conference Finals assuming wins in each round.
It truly was a matter of taking a chance versus just grabbing the bull by the horns and gunning for second which is what Boston did.
Robert Williams III (meniscus) was projected to miss four to six weeks but the Celtics are suggesting he might return mid-series.
NBA Betting Trends:
- Brooklyn is 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games.
- Boston is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Brooklyn’s last 7 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 10 of Boston’s last 12 games.
- The Nets are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Conference Quarterfinals games.
- The Celtics are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games.
Free Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics NBA Prediction:
Although the Celtics registered the best post All-Star record (17-5) there were a few minor red flags raised heading to the postseason. They lost three of their last seven games all to Eastern playoff teams (Raptors, Heat, Bucks).
Not having Williams impacts the quality of the defense but was this late run of mediocrity (4-3) a sign of precisely how much?
Their record versus the other top Eastern seeds is 6-5 and is 8-7 versus the top six seeds with the majority of those losses coming after the New Year.
That said, Brooklyn can’t afford to not be focused the full 48 minutes versus Boston’s top-ranked defense with their own superstar duo who combined to score 75 points against them in their last meeting with Durant, Irving, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond all playing
Williams and/or Simmons returning to the court would change the dynamics of the series but I’ll wait until it’s a certainty not a hypothetical.
With that, I’m taking the Celtics to win and cover.
4* Free NBA Betting Pick: Celtics ATS
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