Boston Celtics (30-12) vs. Brooklyn Nets (27-13)
January 12, 2023 7:30 pm EDT
The Line: Brooklyn Nets +3.5; Over/Under: +227
(Get latest betting odds)
The Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets meet Thursday in NBA action at the Barclays Center. The Boston Celtics have won 8 of their last 10 games. The Brooklyn Nets have won 14 of their last 15 games.
The Boston Celtics are averaging 118.5 points on 47.8 percent shooting and allowing 112.6 points on 46.9 percent shooting. Jayson Tatum is averaging 30.8 points and 8.1 rebounds, while Jaylen Brown is averaging 26.8 points and 3.3 assists. Malcolm Brogdon is the third double-digit scorer and Marcus Smart is grabbing 3.4 rebounds. The Boston Celtics are shooting 37.1 percent from beyond the arc and 82.6 percent from the free throw line. The Boston Celtics are allowing 35.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 44 rebounds per game.
The Brooklyn Nets are averaging 114.6 points on 51.2 percent shooting and allowing 110.6 points on 45.2 percent shooting. Kevin Durant is averaging 29.7 points and 5.3 assists, while Kyrie Irving is averaging 26 points and 4.9 rebounds. Nic Claxton is the third double-digit scorer and TJ Warren is grabbing 3.2 rebounds. The Brooklyn Nets are shooting 39.2 percent from beyond the arc and 80.2 percent from the free throw line. The Brooklyn Nets are allowing 36.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 40.5 rebounds per game.
The Celtics are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 0 days rest and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The Nets are 14-37-2 ATS in their last 53 home games and 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games overall. The over is 4-1 in Celtics last 5 road games. The under is 5-1 in Nets last 6 overall. The Celtics are 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Brooklyn and 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
The Boston Celtics are on the end of a back to back here, so that gives the Nets some value in the underdog role. However, the Nets are of course without Durant, which puts a lot of pressure on Kyrie to do a lot of heavy lifting offensively. The Celtics defense should be able to give an undermanned Nets side trouble. The Celtics have found their footing, and they’ve won 8 straight against the Nets. I’ll lay the small number.
