The Boston Celtics were one of the hottest teams in the NBA ahead of the All-Star break having won nine in a row and 11 of 12 before losing to Detroit in their final game of the first half. It’s been a wild season for the Celtics, who look to keep their recent stretch of strong play going with a visit to Atlantic Division rival Brooklyn Nets as both teams open the post-break portion of their schedule on Thursday. And speaking of wild how about the Nets? They’ll look much different in the second half of the season with Ben Simmons joining the club in a trade for James Harden.
Thursday’s game will air live on TNT with tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. BookMaker.eu will have betting options for every game on the NBA schedule.
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Odds Analysis
Though they both lost their final game before the break, the teams were headed in opposite directions. Boston climbed into the thick of the race for the top seed in the Eastern Conference by winning nine straight games and 11 of 12 while going 8-4 ATS. They were upset at home by Detroit last week ending the streak. They lost that game outright as a 12-point favorite and it leaves us wondering just who the Celtics are. They showed flashes of brilliance during their run but overall they’ve been above average. Which team will show up in the second half? Overall Boston is 34-26 SU and 30-29-1 entering the post-break schedule in sixth place just 4.5 games behind Miami. They are also just a half game ahead of Toronto while holding a 6-game bulge over Washington for 11th in the East.
While the Nets endured an 11-game losing streak and dropped 12 of 14 before the break, folks in Brooklyn are optimistic about the second half of the schedule. Kevin Durant is on the mend and according to his new teammates Simmons is focused on putting his tenure with Philly in the rearview and start a new chapter in his career. So the team we saw go 31-28 SU and 23-34-2 ATS over its first 59 games will be much different than the one in play for the final 23 games. The first two games of the season series are kind of how things have gone for the Nets. They trounced the Celtics in Boston 123-104 back in November and earlier this month they lost at home by 35 points. Brooklyn is just 13-15 SU and 6-21-1 ATS at home.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics are the most intriguing team in the East entering the second half. They closed the pre-break portion of their schedule playing the way everyone expected them they would for the entire season. Well, maybe not winning 90 percent of their games good, but a lot better than what they did prior to their run. Still, they ended the first half with a loss to Detroit leaving a bad taste in their mouths. The question is how do they respond? They will have a week to think about that.
Again it was a poor fourth quarter that did Boston in, something that’s been a theme this season. The Cs led by eight with four minutes left at home against what was the worst team in the NBA. That’s not a good look for a team looking to climb the standings in the congested conference, but the Celtics look like they’re starting to come together under first year coach Ime Udoka.
Brooklyn Nets
The end game is still the same, just getting there has been a bumpy ride. The Nets still have championship aspirations and they will be a much different team when Durant returns and Simmons gets acclimated to the system. And the Harden trade also brought in Seth Curry and Andre Drummond. The Nets have 23 games to figure things out and the first one is kind of a big deal. To avoid the play-in scenario they would have to finish among the top six in the standings and the Nets are currently 2.5 games behind Boston for the sixth seed.
Durant’s status is up in the air for this game, but he’s expected to return soon. And we’re likely to see Simmons once the bell rings for the post-break schedule, which is a good sign. To be honest, the Nets are in better shape now that Harden is gone no matter who takes his role. It was evident by his play in the last few games that he didn’t want to play in Brooklyn, and just like he played his way out of Houston, Harden did the same in Brooklyn.
Celtics at Nets NBA Odds Pick
Man, the season has been a crap shoot on so many levels, especially in the East. There is no dominant team and like the Celtics showed if one can go on a run they move up the standings quickly. The hope for the Nets is that they are that team in the second half. It starts with winning games at home, which has been an issue, and until they get scoring help it’ll continue to be that way with Kyrie Irving still banned from playing home games.
NBA Odds Prediction: Boston Celtics / OVER
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