Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics NBA Playoff Picks, Predictions and Odds: Game 1

Check out our Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics betting picks and odds for the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs First Round Game 1 that will take place in TD Garden, Boston, MA, on April 17, 2022.

Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics Game Info

Matchup: Eastern Conference First Round Game 1 – No.7 Nets vs No.2 Celtics

Tipoff time: Sunday, April 17, 2022, 3.30 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA

Where to watch Nets vs. Celtics: Check out where to watch the Nets vs. Celtics game

Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics Odds Analysis

The Boston Celtics are a 4.5 point favorites going into this one mainly because they are the second seed and the recent form.

The total for this game is at 223.5 which is pretty high given the fact that the Celtics are the best defensive team in the league ranked first in points allowed per game, allowed field goal percentage and allowed three-point percentage.

• The Celtics are 28-13 at home this season
• The Nets are 24-17 on the road this season

Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics Top Two Picks

The No. 2 seed Boston Celtics will host the No.7 Brooklyn Nets in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. The Celtics won 10 of the last 13 regular season games to climb to the second place in the conference but were lucky enough to get the Brooklyn Nets who defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Play-In tournament to advance to the Playoffs.

The Celtics have covered the spread in their last 4 games and in the last 6 games scoring 125 or more points in the previous games. They have played over the total point margin in the last 4 playoff games as favorites.

The Brooklyn Nets have covered the spread in 4 of the last 5 first round games and in 9 of the last 13 road games. They have played under the total points margin in 5 of the last 6 games.

Check out our Nets vs. Celtics predictions and also take a look at our NBA daily expert picks.

Here are my picks and predictions for Sunday’s NBA matchup between the Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics. (Odds via DraftKings and BetMGM)

Brooklyn Nets +4.5 (-110)

If we look only on the conference standings than the Boston Celtics are absolute favorites in this game since they are the second seed and the visiting Nets are the seventh. But whoever follows the NBA knows that the Nets are a much better team than that. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have been through many Playoff battles both winning the NBA championship in the past. They only reason they are this low in the standings is the fact that Kevin Durant missed 20+ games this season and Kyrie Irving was banned for playing the home games since he refused to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.

The Nets showed their force to a certain point in the 115-108 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Play-in tournament and we will see them in full speed on Sunday in Boston.

The Celtics are near the top of the conference for a reason. They had a rough start under first-year coach Ime Udoka but as the season progressed the Celtics were improving. After the All-Star break they took off and climbed from the tenth place to the second. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are great scorers and their team defense, which is by the way ranked first in the league, will be highly important against the Nets.

The first game will be a tight one with both teams pushing hard on the defensive end. Therefore the Nets will be close, covering the 4.5-point spread.

Under 223.5 (-110)

The 223.5 point margin is not too high but knowing how things change when the playoff time comes, this one will stay under the set margin. The Celtics allow league-low 104.5 points per game and will hold the Nets near it. The pressure will also play a role in this as both teams may be nervous at times and their shooting percentage will be slightly lower than usual.

Daniel Theiss under 9.5 points (-125)

The German center does the dirty work for the Celtics and that is the main reason why the team brought him back from Houston. He is a good rebounder and a decent outside shooter who averaged 8.2 points for the season. This average includes the games he played for the Rockets in a run & gun basketball with no defense. There is no way Theiss will go over his season average in a playoff game against the Nets, as a matter of fact, he may not even take enough shots to go over even if he doesn’t miss any of his shots.