Nets vs. Celtics: NBA odds, Picks and Predictions
Nets vs. Celtics Odds
| Nets Odds | +11 |
| Celtics Odds | -11 |
| Over/Under | 227 |
| Date | Fri, Mar. 3 |
| Time | 7:30 p.m. |
| TV | ESPN |
On Friday, the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics will meet at the TD Garden on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. EST. Entering play, Brooklyn (34-28) owns the sixth-best record in the Eastern Conference, trailing Boston (45-18), the 2-seed, by 10.5 games in the standings. In this matchup, oddsmakers are expecting a relatively easy victory for the Celtics, pricing Boston as 11-point home favorites on the spread.
Brooklyn Nets
Bridges era
Since Mikal Bridges arrived in Brooklyn to play his first game on February 11, the Nets are 1-6 overall and rank 29th out of 30 teams in Net Rating. During that stretch, the team ranks 22nd in offensive and defensive efficiency, struggling mightily on both ends of the floor.
In four road contests following the departure of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn is winless in four attempts, having been outscored by 23.9 points per 100 possessions.
New-look Nets roster
In seven games with the Nets, Bridges leads the team in scoring, averaging 23.4 points on a team-high 15.4 field goal attempts per contest. Cameron Johnson, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Cam Thomas are also averaging at least 11.4 points per game during that time period.
The larger struggles for this group have been on the glass, where they rank 29th in rebound percentage across their last seven trips to the hardwood. In that stretch, the Nets have only one player averaging more than five rebounds.
If you are not in a state with legal sports betting, you can target Mikal Bridges player props using our No House Advantage promo code in a DFS game.
Boston Celtics
Dominant at home
Ahead of tip-off on Friday, the Celtics are 25-7 in their 32 home games and have outscored their opponents by 9.2 points per 100 possessions. Boston ranks in the top-10 on both ends of the floor when playing in their home building this year, but their success has been driven primarily by an elite offensive attack that ranks fourth-best in efficiency this year in their home building.
Tatum comfortable at TD Garden
Jayson Tatum is Boston’s leading scorer this year overall, but he has been at his best at home, averaging 31.8 points on 47.6% shooting from the floor, including 35.9% shooting from beyond-the-arc – with each of those metrics being significantly better than his numbers on the road.
Only Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and Joel Embiid are averaging more points per game than Tatum at home this season. According to props.cash, Tatum has cleared this market number in 24 of 30 games played at TD Garden this year.
Nets vs. Celtics – Picks & Predictions
In 59 games played this season, Jayson Tatum ranks sixth in the NBA in points per game overall and fifth in points per game when playing at home. This evening, there are only two other players in the game who are a legitimate threat to score more points than Tatum – Mikal Bridges, who is averaging 23.4 points per game in his last seven contests, and Jaylen Brown, who is averaging 26.3 points per game for the season.
In a matchup between two lopsided rosters, this game could get out of hand early, but the backdoor cover is always a risk on large spreads. Instead, bettors can take a small stab on the birthday narrative – take Tatum to be the leading scorer in this contest over at DraftKings.
PICK: Jayson Tatum – Leading Scorer (-135, DraftKings)
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