On Saturday, 03/15, the Brooklyn Nets (22-44) will host the Boston Celtics (47-19) in an Eastern Conference Regular-Season match-up. The Nets have fallen to the 13th place in the East, whereas the Celtics have steadily seized the second spot. Will the defending champs crush the Nets for the third time this season? Read about the preview, total predictions, and player props here.
Nets: Jimmy Butler has turned their season around
The Nets will enter the affair after a 6-point loss against the Chicago Bulls despite a 24-point performance by Cam Thomas. It was their second straight loss, and they are now 1-9 in the last ten games. The Nets’ offense has struggled without a pure point guard, scoring 107.5 points per game(3rd worst) in that period, which is surprisingly an uptick over their season average of 105.3 PPG(2nd worst). Their defense has been inconsistent after a strong period in February, when they gave up around just 100 PPG(best), but they have now conceded around 115.8 PPG(14th worst) in the last ten games. Now they have fallen out of the contention for the Play-in tournament, unless there is a big turnaround.
Expected Starting Lineup
PG: D’Angelo Russell | SG: Cam Thomas | SG/SF: Ziairie Williams | SF/PF: Cameron Johnson | C: Nic Claxton
Key Injuries/Updates: Noah Clowney is OUT for the game.
Celtics: They are still elite, but are they defending champs material?
The Boston Celtics will come into this game after a game against the Miami Heat on the previous night. Before that, they suffered a 6-point loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder despite a 33-point performance by Jayson Tatum. The defeat broke a 5-game winning streak, and they are 15-4 in their last 19 games. They have maintained a strong hold at the second spot in the East but they have lacked the killer edge from the last season. One of the huge reasons for their small dip in victories has been the decline in their bench production, which was also affected by the dwindling play of Jrue Holiday and Al Horford to the same extent. However, their methods haven’t changed as they remain the top-three point shooting team with league-leading and record-breaking 17.8 three-pointers per game (37% FG).
Expected Starting Lineup
PG: Jrue Holiday | SG: Derrick White | SG/SF: Jaylen Brown | SF/PF: Jayson Tatum | C: Al Horford
Key Injuries/Updates: The Celtics may field a second-unit here and rest all their starters except for a couple of them.
The Nets’ offense has seen some decent uptick since the return of Cam Thomas, and they have scored 110 or more in four of the last six games. On the other hand, the Celts will be entering a back-to-back situation and can potentially come with a bench-dominated unit. Thus, judging the total here is trickier than usual. However, if I am to throw my hat in the ring, I believe the scoring can be in the 220ish range here.
Projected Predictions:
Cam Thomas to score Over 25.5 Points: The Nets’ isolation hero has put up 21.6 PPG in six games since his return from a long layoff. He has only scored 25+ once in that period but I expect him to breach that mark here
D’Angelo Russell to score over 13.5 points: D’Lo is in shooting slump, scoring in single digits in four of the last six games. I expect him to break the funk, and figure in the 15-19 points range.
Payton Pritchad to score over 15.5 points: Streaky shooter Pritchard has scored in single-digits during three straight games. This lean patch comes after the sharpshooter scored 43 points and 19 points in two straight games. I expect him to come out of his slump and score in the 16+ points range. He is likely to have more touches if the team’s main unit is out.
Luke Kornet to grab over 5.5 rebounds: The Celtics center has tallied 5 rebounds per game this season but can be in a bigger role here. I expect him to be in the 7-9 rebounds range here.
The Nets will fancy a chance of an upset if the Celts play with a short-handed unit in the back-to-back situation. Brooklyn has kept it close in the last few games, so the much fresher unit can get their offensive act together, especially with Cam Thomas finding his range. It will be crucial for them to hit the long ball as the Celts play the three-ball game even with their second units pretty well. I am torn on an upset here but still favor the Nets, just slightly. However, the Nets MAY cover the spread of around 10 points.
Safe Spread Pick: Nets +9.5 at BetMGM
Photo Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
