Nets at Celtics Expert Predictions & Picks
I'm taking the Boston Celtics -12.5 at home against Brooklyn on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m. ET and my best player prop is Payton Pritchard 3+ threes.
The back-to-back is the only reason this number isn't bigger, and I don't buy it. Boston beat Chicago 134-99 last night. Jayson Tatum, Paul George and Derrick White all played 28 minutes or less while the bench scored 79. The Celtics also went 8-5 on the second night of back-to-backs last season, winning by 9 a game.
Brooklyn is 0-3 and losing by 12.7 a game while also turning the rock over 18.7 times a night. At home last season, Boston beat the league's bottom six teams by 13 or more in 5 of 9 games.
Pritchard hit 7 threes last night. Add to that, the Nets are allowing 17.3 threes a game, withCharlotte, Cleveland and Indiana making 15, 16 and 21 across their last 3.
Key Stats
- Brooklyn is 0-3 with a -11.9 net rating, 26th in the league
- Boston went 8-5 on back-to-backs last season and won those games by 9 points on average
- Opponents are making 17.3 threes a game against the Nets
- Pritchard is averaging 3.3 threes and made 3+ in 39 of 79 games last season
Head to Head
Boston won three of four meetings last season, and two of those wins came by 14 and 37. Brooklyn's lone win, 113-105 at TD Garden, came in November. By February the gap was obvious, and the Celtics won 148-111 at home. Brooklyn's 0-3 start doesn't suggest it has closed it.
Brooklyn Nets Form
This offense runs on two guys. Julius Randle (22 points a game) and Michael Porter Jr. (21.3) do most of the scoring, and the rest of the rotation is learning on the job. The Nets rank 24th in offensive rating, and those 18.7 turnovers a game are hard to survive against a team that shoots like Boston.
The defense is worse. Indiana put 136 on Brooklyn on Sunday, and the Nets rank 23rd in defensive rating. Tyler Bilodeau is out with a shoulder sprain.
Boston Celtics Form
The Celtics are shooting 42.4% from three on 41.7 attempts a game, and they rank 5th in offensive rating. Tatum is averaging 24 points, 6.7 rebounds and 8 assists, and George has 4.3 threes a game. Boston's net rating sits at +10.1, which is 6th, even after a road loss in Detroit on opening night.
Devin Carter is out with an illness, but that doesn't touch the main rotation.