Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets NBA Playoffs Game 2 Betting Pick, Odds, Predictions & Lines

After winning Game 1, the Nets will face the Celtics for Game 2 of the first-round playoff series. After struggling in the first half, the Nets won the game on Saturday, 103-94. It was their 6th win in a row. Brooklyn is now 49-24 straight up this season and 39-34 against the spread. The Celtics had to go through the play-in tournament to get to the playoffs after finishing 7th in the East. Their play-in win over the Wizards was only the 5th in the last 15 games. Their SU record now stands at 37-37 while they’re 35-39 ATS. Including Saturday’s game, the Nets have won all four matchups between the two teams this season.

Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets NBA Playoffs Game 2 Betting Line Movement

The Nets opened as -9 favorites, one point higher than in the first game. In the meantime, the line has moved up a bit, to -9.5. The total is set at 227 or 226.5 depending on a bookie.

Notes on Boston

Even though they lost by 9, the Celtics can take some positives from Game 1. They put up a good fight against the championship favorites, especially in the first half. They played great defense at the start of the game and kept the Nets to only 16 points in the 1st quarter. Jason Taytum scored 15 in the first half, while Marcus Smart added 11 to give Boston the 6-point lead at the break. But, the absence of Jaylen Brown and the lack of offensive weapons eventually caught up with them. Throughout the second half, the Celts struggled to move the ball and get clean looks. Tatum ended the match with 22 points but shot only6-20 from the field. Kemba Walker was under pressure the whole game and had only 15 points on less than 30% field goal percentage. Robert Williams performed well on both ends of the court. The young center had 11 points and 9 rebounds. In addition, he set the franchise record with 9 blocks. To get anything out of Game 2, Boston will need much better shooting and better offensive performance from the role players to free some space for Jayson Tatum.

Aside from Jaylen Brown, the Celtics have no other injury concerns for Tuesday night.

Notes on Brooklyn

The lack of chemistry between three of Brooklyn’s stars was obvious at the start of Game 1. However, eventually, each of them got theirs. Kevin Durant ended the game with 32 points and 12 rebounds, while Kyrie Irving added 29. James Harden flirted with a triple-double finishing with 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. He also had 4 steals. The three of them especially dominated in the second half when they combined for 49 points. However, it was an offensive performance way below Brooklyn’s standards. They missed plenty of shots in the first half and shot a miserable 8-34 from the deep overall. Their main area of concern prior to the playoffs, the defense, was what got them this win. They smothered Tatum and Walker and kept Boston to only 36.9% from the field. In the second half, the Nets allowed the Celtics only 40 points.

Long-term absentee, Spencer Dinwiddie, is the only player out for the Nets.

Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets NBA Playoffs Game 2 Betting Pick: Brooklyn -9.5

The Nets will look to dominate from the very start and avoid the repeat of the slow start. The Celtics have played as well as possible on defense, but they simply can’t contain all three of Brooklyn’s stars. On the other hand, the Nets have proven that they can play good defense and surely won’t repeat the poor shooting performance.