Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets: Another high-scoring match

Kyrie Irving will have a very important series against Boston, and Celtics fans will probably not give the star point guard the warmest of welcomes. Can Brooklyn handle the pressure in Game 1?

The Celtics made a real breakthrough in the second half of the season, which helped them finish 2nd in the East. The only thing of concern is that Robert Williams is injured and is unlikely to play in the series against Brooklyn. Daniel Theis will try to replace the Timelord, but there is no guarantee that the team will be as reliable in the paint with the German big man. On offense, of course, everything will depend on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Derrick White could be a force to be reckoned with as he has averaged just 10.9 points on less than 40% shooting from the field in the last month.

Boston won 7 of the last 10 games. In the final game Ime Udoka's players defeated Memphis on the road, 139-110. The opponent played without their starting five, so any other result would have been a failure. Tatum scored 31 points in 26 minutes on the floor and that largely determined the outcome of the game.

The Nets have won five straight, including a 115-108 victory over Cleveland in the play-in, but the team's difficulties during the regular season were a complete surprise. Brooklyn is not nearly ready for the playoffs either: Ben Simmons is still in the injured reserve, and he'll be back only in Game 4 of the series with Boston. Joe Harris is out for the rest of the season, and in his absence, Seth Curry should be the main sniper. Kevin Durant had an outstanding season, averaging 29.9 points, and in Simmons' absence, Nets fans can only hope that their first star plays at the same level as he did last postseason.

Brooklyn has six wins in 10 head-to-head encounters, but they have lost three times this season. In the last meeting, Boston was stronger by a score of 126-120. Robert Williams was healthy at the time and the Celtics were without Aaron Nesmith. Simmons and Harris didn't play for the Nets.

• Boston has eight wins in 10 home games;
• Brooklyn won 6 of its last 10 road games.

Boston is a very tenacious team, which is difficult to play combination basketball against, but Brooklyn rather emphasizes the individual skill of its stars, and there is a reason why the Nets play a lot of isolations. That said, on defense it is very difficult for the visitors to compensate for Irving and Drummond's shortcomings, and there should be plenty of space at the basket. Even at the end of the regular season Brooklyn was not very stable, so the Celtics are considered the favorites for good reason. The Celtics are very good at TD Garden, and even without Robert Williams they can start the series with a win. I suggest betting on the following outcomes:

• Total Over (223.5) for 1.725;
• Handicap Boston (-4.5) for 2.04;
• Seth Curry TO (11.5) for 1.86.

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