Boston (3-0) at Brooklyn (0-3)
When: Monday, April 25th, 2022
Where: Barclays Center,
Brooklyn, NY
Time: 7:00 ET | TV: TNT
Opening Odds: Brooklyn -2/220
The Brooklyn Nets were one of the favorites coming into the postseason to win the NBA title despite being a No. 7 seed. Well, it appears their seeding was accurate, because the Nets are on the verge of getting swept in the first round by the Boston Celtics. Game 4 is set for Monday night in Brooklyn at 7:00 ET on TNT. Boston has won the first three games in different ways and are clearly the better squad right now. The Celtics just have to win one of the next four games to advance to the second round of the playoffs and a date with either Milwaukee or Chicago. Boston has used strong defense to limit All-Star Kevin Durant to just 22.0 points a game on a dismal 36.5 percent shooting.
While the Celtics have won seven of their last eight games overall, the Nets are on a bad run at covering point spreads. They are just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games and an even uglier 3-24 ATS in their last 27 games as a home favorite. They are just a 1-point favorite for Monday’s Game 4 with a total pegged at 220. It was rumored that Brooklyn would see the debut of Ben Simmons on Monday, but he has been ruled out with a bad back. Simmons was the centerpiece of the James Harden trade to Philadelphia but has yet to appear for the Nets. He last played in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Atlanta last summer.
Boston overcame a 17-point deficit to win Game 2 after getting a buzzer-beating shot from Jayson Tatum in the series opener. On Saturday, the Celtics took the lead late in the first quarter and never gave up the lead in the 109-103 victory. Tatum scored 39 points in Game 3 and is averaging 29.7 for the series. The Celtics are also getting 22.7 points from Jaylen Brown on 50.9 percent from the field. Brown had 23 points and Marcus Smart added 14 on Saturday. Boston is 13-3 ATS in their last 16 road contests.
Kyrie Irving has been a non-factor since pouring in 39 in the series opener. Over the last two games, Irving has scored a total of 26 points and missed all seven of his 3-point attempts in Game 3. Bruce Brown is having a solid series with 18.0 points a game after scoring a team-high 26 on Saturday. Durant had 16 points, eight rebounds and eight boards, while Nic Claxton had 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
It’s really tough to sweep a series on the road, as Golden State and Philadelphia can attest to. I’m taking the Celtics once again. The Nets are a complete mess right now and have zero confidence or team chemistry. Tatum and Brown will have big games and help the Celtics advance.
Check out who Bobby Babowski has on his Free NBA Picks page for today.
Pick: Celtics +1
