In what is a preview of a potential Eastern Conference Finals match-up, the Brooklyn Nets (1-0) will be travelling to Boston to take on the Celtics at 5:00 PM ET on Christmas Day.
The Nets won their first game of the season, dominating the Golden State Warriors 125-99. When it came to business, the Nets’ superstars Kyrie Irving (25-4-4) and Kevin Durant (22-5-3) led the way for the team in limited minutes.
In what was a much closer game the Boston Celtics opened up the 2020-21 NBA season against the Milwaukee Bucks, winning a nail-biter with a 122-121 final score. Jayson Tatum (30-7-2) put the Celtics ahead with a three-pointer with just 0.4 seconds remaining.
Betting Preview for Nets vs Celtics
The Brooklyn Nets are projected to win with a moneyline of -152, according to FanDuel. The Celtics’ moneyline is at +128, but it’s expected to be a close game with Brooklyn pegged as 3-point underdog. The total for this one is currently at 228.5.
By the Numbers
While the NBA season is still young, the Nets did look impressive against the Warriors.
Brooklyn’s team shooting splits for the game were .457/.429/.813, while also out rebounding the Warriors 57-47. The Nets defense was also impressive, forcing the Warriors to shoot an abysmal .374/.303/.652.
While the Nets were scoring at will against the Warriors, the Celtics had a pretty good game shooting-wise against the Bucks, putting up .475/.450/.727 shooting splits.
However, they weren’t able to defend the Bucks that well, as evidenced by the final score, as well as the Bucks shooting .511/.400/.833.
KD and Kyrie Era Officially Open in Brooklyn
It was July 2019 when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving signed with the Nets, signalling a new era in Brooklyn.
Unfortunately for Nets fans, they had to wait until this week to see them play a regular season game together.
After watching the season opener, it’s clear that while he looked decent, Durant wasn’t fully playing like his old self. The Nets are hoping he can get back to his MVP form, but that may be difficult given the fact that he’s coming off of an achilles injury.
Irving, meanwhile, looked great in his previously mentioned 25-point game.
Not to be outdone, 26-year-old guard Caris LeVert put up an impressive 20-9-5 stat line in the victory off of the bench. If the Nets want to contend with the East’s top teams like Boston, they’re going to need more performances like that out of LeVert.
They’re also going to need more from Spencer Dinwiddie, who shot just 33 percent in a 9-point-effort against the Warriors.
Can the Celtics Take the Next Step?
After making to the Eastern Conference Finals last season in a losing effort to the Miami Heat, the Celtics are looking at their young core to take the next step towards elite status.
Along with Tatum’s 30 points, guard Jaylen Brown helped lead the way with 33 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. It’s going to be interesting to see how the Nets plan to stop, or at least contain, Tatum and Brown.
Veteran Jeff Teague made his Celtics debut against the Bucks, with a 19-3-4 game. It’s that type of secondary scoring that the Celtics are going to need to be competitive night in and night out this season.
Not only will they need Teague’s scoring, but the Celtics are going to need newcomer Tristan Thompson (12-9-1) to perform well defensively to prevent games as close as the one against the Bucks.
Betting Advice for Nets vs Celtics
At the end of the day, both of these teams will be somewhere near the top of the Eastern Conference when the season ends. Although the Nets did have a dominant win to open the season, the Warriors in their current state can’t compare to the challenge that the Celtics pose. Plus, it’s likely that Durant needs a bit more time to get back to the best he can be.
Betting Advice: Pick the Celtics to win a close game in Boston.