Celtics vs. Nets Pick – Game 2 Odds & Analysis

Boston Celtics (36-36 SU, 33-38 ATS) at Brooklyn Nets (48-24, 38-34), 5/25/21

When: 7:30 pm ET Tuesday, May 25

Where: Barclays Center

TV: TNT

Point Spread: Bos +9.5/Brook -9.5 (Bet it FREE with a 100% REAL CASH bonus at MyBookie Sportsbook! Must use bonus code PREDICT100)

Total: 227

After grabbing the opener of this first-round Eastern Conference playoff series Saturday, the Nets shoot for a 2-0 lead when they host the Celtics again for Game 2 Tuesday night at the Barclays Center. Brooklyn is now 4-0 against Boston this season, and 4-0 against the spread, after covering nearly a double-digit spread in Game 1. Currently, the Nets are favored by even more for Game 2. Here’s our breakdown of this game, with our free NBA playoff pick at the end.

NBA Playoffs Betting Odds

The NBA playoffs betting market opened Brooklyn at -9 for this Game 2, with an over/under of 227. Early betting action then ticked the Nets up to -9.5.

Any bettors out there who think Boston might win this game outright could get upwards of +370 on the NBA betting money line.

NBA Playoffs Betting Preview

Brooklyn took the opener of this series Saturday night 104-93. The Nets actually trailed Boston 53-47 at the half but scored the first seven points out of the locker room to take their first lead since the opening minute of the game. Brooklyn later only led 82-79 with seven minutes left but pulled away from there for the victory and the cover as favorites of 8.5 points.

Also, Game 1 never came close to approaching its over/under of 233, as both teams struggled to throw the ball in the hole. The Nets only shot 42 percent from the floor Sunday but held the Celtics to just 37 percent FG shooting.

Brooklyn also out-rebounded Boston 50-40 and won the turnover battle 12-11.

So going back into the regular season, the Nets own a six-game winning streak.

At the other end of the spectrum, Boston is just 2-5 over its last seven games.

Brooklyn swept the season series from the Celtics this year three games to none. The Nets won the first meeting back in December in Boston 123-95, covering at -3; then won the second meeting in March at home 121-109, covering at -2.5; then won the third meeting in April 109-104, covering at -3.5.

The Celtics outshot the Nets in those three games combined 46 percent to 43 percent and won the battle on the boards by a per-game margin of 47-45. Brooklyn just won the games.

The Nets played 6-2 this season when their Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden all played.

More Picks: Dan’s LA Dodgers vs. Houston Astros Prediction >>>

NBA Betting Trends

• The Celtics played 15-21 SU, 16-20 ATS on the road this season.
• The Nets played 28-8 SU, 19-17 ATS at home this season.
• The Celtics played 15-22 SU, 16-21 ATS against teams that made the playoffs this season.
• The Nets played 17-20 both SU and ATS against teams that made the playoffs this season.
• The Celtics played 13-12 ATS as an underdog this season.
• The Nets played 3-7 ATS when favored by between nine and 12 points this season.

Totals Report

Overs played 37-35 in Celtics games this season, which averaged 224 total points.

Overs played 40-32 in Nets games this season, which averaged 233 points.

Unders are 4-0 in Celtics-Nets games this season, which have averaged 215 total points against an average O/U of 230.

Free NBA Pick

Brooklyn is probably going to win this game; it’s just a matter of the final margin. The Nets are 4-0 against Boston this season, but the last two games have played close. Boston might have covered that Game 1 spread had it scored more than 40 points in the second half. We expect a bit better shooting performance from the Celtics Tuesday night. So while they might not win this game outright, we’re betting Boston plus the points here for our free NBA playoffs pick for Tuesday.