In the first game of Friday night's doubleheader on ESPN, the Nets will look to snap their four-game losing streak when they go on the road to play the Celtics at 7:30 p.m. ET. This is the final regular season meeting between these two Atlantic division rivals, as Boston has won the first three matchups by an average of 21.6 points per game.
The Celtics (45-18) currently hold the second spot in the Eastern Conference and are a half-game behind the Bucks for first place. Meanwhile, the new-look Nets (34-28) are holding onto the sixth seed, but the Heat are just 1.5 games behind them and two games back in the loss column. Brooklyn must start stringing some wins together if it wants to avoid the play-in tournament next month.
Boston enters tonight's game against the Nets on a five-game winning streak at home, with the most recent win coming against the Cavaliers earlier this week. Jayson Tatum led the way for Boston with 41 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. He was one of three Celtics players with at least 11 rebounds on a night when Boston shot 50 percent from three-point range while holding the Cavs to 31.3 percent from beyond the arc.
It wouldn't be a shock to see the Celtics win tonight against a Nets squad that has lost four consecutive games since the All-Star break. Brooklyn will try to rebound from its 142-118 loss to New York on Wednesday night when it allowed Jalen Brunson to go off for 39 points. However, it wasn't all gloom and doom for the Nets, as Cam Johnson stepped up with 33 points on 13-of-18 shooting from the field and 7-of-11 from three-point range.
Can the Nets get major contributions from Johnson, Mikal Bridges, and Spencer Dinwiddie to pull off the upset win tonight? Or will the Celtics sweep the season series and keep up with the Bucks for first place in the East? Below, we'll break down this Atlantic division contest while giving our prediction, best bets, and a DFS lineup for basketball fans looking to win some cash.
Nets vs. Celtics odds, picks, predictions
- Spread: Brooklyn +11.5 (-115); Dallas -11.5 (-105)
- Over/Under: 227.5
- Moneyline: Nets +400; Celtics -550
The Celtics are overwhelming favorites tonight against the Nets, who they dominated through the first three games this season. Tonight's contest marks Boston's first time against Brooklyn's revamped roster. The last time they played them on Feb. 1, Brooklyn still had Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Even with a high point spread, bettors should not be scared to lay the points with the C's.
This season, Boston is 18-14 against the spread at home and 31-28 ATS as a favorite. Boston is also 5-5 ATS when the spread is more than 10 points. The Nets are 2-6 since the trade deadline and have lost three out of their past four games by double-digits. Furthermore, they are 3-5 ATS over that span and 2-5 ATS as an underdog.
Bettors should lean toward the Celtics' spread, as they are the better team and have shown it since the All-Star break, defeating teams such as the Sixers and Cavs. Boston should not have any issues jumping out to a big lead against a Nets defense that has allowed 129.7 points per game over their past three games (second-worst behind the Rockets). The Nets have also struggled in the second quarter this season, allowing 29.4 points per game (eighth-worst).
Brooklyn has also struggled to defend the three-point line this season, allowing teams to shoot 37.6 percent and 49 percent over their past three games. This is where you would like to have Ben Simmons paired with Johnson and Bridges. However, Boston is shooting 37.9 percent from three-point land this season and an impressive 38.1 percent at home. The Celtics win this one, with Tatum and Jaylen Brown both scoring 30 points apiece and keeping pace with the Bucks in the East.
Best Bet: Celtics -11.5
Best player prop bet for Nets vs. Celtics: Jaylen Brown OVER 2.5 three-pointers made (+105)
Brown's three-point prop jumps out since it's still at plus money. The 26-year-old wing has not shot the ball well from beyond the arc this season (33.7 percent), but he's averaging 7.5 attempts per game. He's gone over 2.5 threes made in five out of his past 10 games. One of those games was against the Nets on Feb. 1 when Brown scored 43 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field and 7-of-12 from three-point range. He also shot the ball well from three against the Nets in December, going 5-of-9 from distance. With Brooklyn's defense struggling to defend the three, Brown should have no problem hitting his prop.
Nets vs. Celtics: DFS lineups
Lineup assembled in DraftKings Showdown mode. Six spots, $50,000 limit
| Position | Player | FPPG | Salary |
| Captain (1.5x FPTS) | Mikal Bridges | 32.9 | $13,500 |
| UTIL | Jaylen Brown | 43.0 | $10,200 |
| UTIL | Nic Claxton | 33.0 | $7,800 |
| UTIL | Cam Johnson | 26.2 | $6,600 |
| UTIL | Cam Thomas | 16.8 | $6,400 |
| UTIL | Al Horford | 25.1 | $5,200 |
Despite having Tatum and Brown at our disposal, we're captaining Bridges. The former Villanova standout is the Nets' clear No. 1 option on offense and is averaging 43.02 DK points per game in his past five games. If Bridges can lead the way for Brooklyn, it should hopefully open up things for CamJohnson, who is coming off a good game against the Knicks, and Cam Thomas, who has come back down to earth but still capable of 30-plus points on any given night. We also found a way to get Brown and Horford into our lineup at reasonable salaries.
