The Boston Celtics (18-5, 7-3 Away) travel to face the Brooklyn Nets (13-11, 8-4 Home) Sunday in a game that could see a lot of points. Boston lost to the Miami Heat 120-116 in overtime at TD Garden on Friday. With 37 points and 14 rebounds, Jaylen Brown was a top performer in the losing effort.
The Celtics are two games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks atop the Eastern Conference, currently sitting in first. Brooklyn won their fourth in a row on Friday at Barclays Center, beating the Toronto Raptors 114-105. Kyrie Irving had 27 points, leading the team. The Nets are the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
The teams are meeting for the first time this season. They last met in Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round when the Celts clinched the series with a 116-112 victory at Barclays Center on April 25, their seventh straight head-to-head win.
Boston won three out of four regular season games between the teams last season, including a 126-120 triumph in their last meeting at TD Garden on March 6. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 54 points. Kevin Durant had 37 points and eight assists in the losing effort. Tatum and Brown, averaging 30.8 and 26.6 points per game, respectively, have led the Celts in scoring this season.
Both are among the league’s top scorers, as Tatum is No. 1 and Brown is first. Tatum also has grabbed 8.0 rebounds per game, most in the NBA. Meanwhile, Marcus Smart is dishing 7.7 assists per game. Durant’s 29.8 points per game have powered the Nets on offense.
He is the No. 1 scorer in the NBA. Durant also has tallied 5.4 assists per game, most in the league. Nicolas Claxton has collected 8.6 rebounds per game. The Celtics and the Nets are averaging 121.6 and 111.7 points per game, respectively, ranking first and fifth in the NBA in scoring.
The Nets have found success in recent clashes between the teams at Barclays Center, winning six of the last 10. Brooklyn is pursuing a seventh successive home win this season. In the last 10 games, Boston is 8-2 with an average margin of +10.7 (124.3-113.6). Brooklyn has a 7-3 record over the last 10, scoring 113.9 points per game on average while allowing 112.7 (+1.2 margin).
CELTICS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points per game:
Derrick White: 14.8 | 11.2 | +3.6
Assists per game:
Jayson Tatum: 3.3 | 4.4 | -1.2
NETS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Edmond Sumner: 5.3 | 9.6 | -4.3
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Boston Celtics (-145)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
