With Kevin Durant playing at an MVP level, the Brooklyn Nets raced up the Eastern Conference standings pulling within a game of the Boston Celtics for the overall lead with Sunday’s win over Miami. The win was the 14th in 15 games for the Nets, but it came with a price. Durant was lost for what’s expected to be several weeks with a knee injury leaving Brooklyn without its leading scorer for the Atlantic Division showdown. Boston won the first meeting between the teams, 103-92, covering the 2.5-point line.
The contest between the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets takes place at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 12, 2023 from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY and will air live on TNT. BookMaker.eu will have odds for every game on the Thursday NBA schedule.
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Odds Analysis
After a recent spell that saw them go 5-7 SU and 3-8-1 ATS, the Celtics regained their swagger taking down the Bulls at home for a third straight victory. They failed to cover the 9.5-point spread in that game and have been in a slump at the betting window going 4-10-1 ATS over the last 15 games. Their blistering start to the season that included a 9-game winning streak and victories in 14 of 15 games while going 21-5 through the first two months shows us what they’re capable of, but the Celtics have been unable to sustain that level of play. They have maintained the top overall record in the Association going 29-12 with an impressive 13-7 SU and 10-10 ATS record on the road.
The Nets are currently the hottest team in the NBA with their 102-101 win over Miami on Sunday their 14th triumph in the last 15 games while going 9-6 ATS. They reeled off 12 consecutive victories to open the run before being snubbed by Chicago last week. The stretch of success started following a home loss to the Celtics on Dec. 4. That was the first meeting between the clubs since last season’s playoffs when the Nets were swept in four games extending their losing skid to Boston to eight games overall.
Boston Celtics
A big reason for Boston’s success has been their offense. The C’s average the second-most points in the NBA with 118.5 and sport the league’s largest point differential at plus-5.9. They’ve been held to fewer than 100 points in a game just twice and they can also win lower-scoring contests as evidenced with Monday night’s 107-99 win over the Bulls. That hasn’t translated for OVER bettors, though, with the team cashing the UNDER in two of its last three games.
Boston carried a brilliant second half of last season into the playoffs opening their journey to the NBA Finals with a first round sweep of the Nets. The overall winning streak reached eight with a 103-92 payout win in early December for their fourth straight cover. They are 6-1-1 ATS during the current streak with the teams cashing the UNDER in three of the last four meetings.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets need guys like Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons to step up with Durant out for several weeks after sustaining a knee injury. It’s been a roller coaster of a season with early struggles seemingly behind them during their epic stretch of success. One constant, though, has been Durant, who played in all but one of the team’s first 40 games. And you just don’t replace one of the game’s best players with someone off the bench. Durant had 17 points before leaving the eventual win over Miami late in the third quarter. He’s expected to miss several weeks.
Irving did his part against the Heat scoring 29 points on 6 of 15 shooting from behind the arc. Royce O’Neale made only three baskets but his last was the biggest, a putback with seconds left on the clock. Simmons has been a disappointment averaging just 7.7 points in 30 games, but he has an opportunity to make up for his inconsistent play in Durant’s absence. The Nets have picked up their defensive intensity while winning 18 of their last 20 games cashing the UNDER 12 times during that span.
NBA Odds Pick
The Nets were able to finish off the win over Miami without Durant, but now that the reality of his absence has set in things will be different. The defensive intensity needs to be there against Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the highest scoring teammates in the league, and I believe it will be. However, the Nets lack the firepower with KD on the shelf.
NBA Odds Prediction: Boston Celtics / UNDER
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