Celtics vs Nets Betting & Picks (Jan. 12): Boston Doesn’t Break a Sweat Against Durant-less Brooklyn

The NBA Eastern Conference’s two best teams will collide on Thursday, Jan. 12 as the Boston Celtics are scheduled to visit the Brooklyn Nets. Boston and Brooklyn are two of the favorites to win the 2022-23 NBA Championship, sitting at +390 (No. 1) and +800 odds (No. 3), respectively, on BetOnline Sportsbook. In other words, basketball fans won’t want to miss the latest Celtics vs Nets showdown.

As of today, the Brooklyn Nets are the biggest threat to the Boston Celtics going to the NBA Finals.

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 11, 2023

The Celtics have been on fire lately, finding victories in eight of their last 10 outings and winning their last four games in a row. They became the first team this season to reach 30 wins with Wednesday’s 125-114 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, highlighted by Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combining for 72 points on 25-of-43 shooting (58.1%).

Meanwhile, the Nets have won back-to-back contests since their 12-game winning streak came to an end. They were last in action on Sunday, picking up a 102-101 win against the Miami Heat with help from Kyrie Irving’s game-high 29 points.

There’s a lot to take in before Thursday’s Celtics vs Nets game. Fortunately, Betting News has gathered the game’s odds while also having a prediction, the best bets and a player prop for tonight’s contest.

Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Boston Celtics (30-12, 13-7 Away) vs. Brooklyn Nets (27-13, 13-5 Home)
• Venue & Location: Barclays Center (Brooklyn, New York)
• Date: Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2023
• Game Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time
• Celtics vs Nets Info: TNT, NBA Sports Boston

Celtics vs Nets Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline as of Thursday, Jan. 12 at 9:04 a.m. ET. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Spread

• Boston Celtics -3 (-110)
• Brooklyn Nets +3 (-110)

Over/Under

• Over 228 Points (-110)
• Under 228 Points (-110)

Moneyline

• Boston Celtics -148
• Brooklyn Nets +126

Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets Betting Trends

• Boston is 8-0 straight up in its last eight games against Brooklyn.
• Brooklyn is 11-1 straight up in its last 12 games against the Eastern Conference.
• Boston is 2-5 against the spread (ATS) in its last seven games.
• Brooklyn is 0-5 ATS in its last five home games against Boston.
• The total has hit the under in 11 of Boston’s last 15 road games.
• The total has hit the under in 10 of Brooklyn’s last 14 games against the Atlantic Division.

Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets Prediction and Picks

Celtics vs Nets Prediction: Celtics 114, Nets 107

Celtics vs Nets Picks: Celtics -3 (Best Value: -110 at BetOnline) & Under 228 Points Points (Best Value: -110 at BetOnline)

Even though the Nets are one of the biggest championship threats in the NBA, the Celtics have had no issues handling them.

The Celtics met the Nets for the first time this season on Dec. 4, resulting in a 103-92 victory. The win also marked the eighth straight time that Boston has beaten Brooklyn — a span where the Celtics have beaten the Nets by an average of 11.6 points.

While the Nets are capable of beating any team on any given night, that’s going to be tougher as long as Kevin Durant is out with an MCL sprain. Brooklyn is 4-15 in the last 19 games without Durant, who is averaging 29.7 points on 67.3% true shooting this season.

Needless to say, Durant’s presence will be felt tonight — especially with the way that the Celtics’ stars have been playing lately. Tatum is averaging 31.6 points and 8.3 rebounds over this last 10 games, finishing with at least 31 points in each of his last three outings.

Meanwhile, Brown is averaging 30.0 PPG over that same stretch and is coming off a 41-point effort against the Pelicans. As good as Kyrie Irving has been this season, the Nets won’t have the offensive power to keep up with the Celtics’ stars.

Playing on the road is supposed to pose a challenge to most teams, but that isn’t the case for the Celtics. They’ve been victorious in each of their last five visits to Barclays Center, holding the Nets to just 100.8 PPG in that span. Furthermore, the Celtics are also 5-0 ATS in those outings.

It also helps that Boston has the second-best road scoring margin (plus-2.1) in the Association this season.

At the end of the day, it’s just hard to like the Nets without Durant. The Celtics are playing tremendous basketball lately and will bring Brooklyn back down to earth. With the Celtics also being 5-0 ATS in their last five trips to Brooklyn and the Nets being 2-5 ATS in their last seven Thursday contests, I like Boston’s odds of covering the spread.

I also recommend backing the total finishing under 228 points. On top of the first Celtics vs Nets tilt of the year only seeing 195 points scored, Durant’s absence also lowers the likelihood of a shootout happening. Expect Boston’s defense to lock things down, leading to fewer points than expected.

Best Celtics vs Nets Prop

Jayson Tatum — Over 30.5 Points (-113)

As mentioned earlier, Jayson Tatum has been playing some terrific basketball this season. His 30.8 PPG clip is the best mark of his career and he’s been even better lately, averaging 31.2 points in his last 24 outings.

The Celtics are looking to send a message to the rest of the conference tonight and a big performance by Tatum will help that. The good news is that he shouldn’t have any issues hitting the over on this prop after averaging 30.6 points in his last 11 games against the Nets, finishing with more than 30.5 in five of those outings.

Considering how Tatum has also hit the over in each of his last three games, looking for another massive performance from the three-time NBA All-Star.

Other Celtics vs Nets Resources

• Celtics vs Nets Consensus Picks, Score Projections & Betting Stats

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