Some sports betting analysts (including this one) thought that the Boston Celtis might be in trouble with their first-round matchup in these NBA playoffs – a date with the Broklyn Nets. Yes, the Nets fiddled around and ended up in the play-in tournament, but then the Nets dispatched Cleveland easily to take the seventh seed. Kyrie Irving looked locked-in for the Nets, and along with Kevin Durant, Irving’s scoring touch would give Boston fits. Right? Well, Jayson Tatum made a buzzer-beater to give the Celtics Game 1, 115-114, and then Boston came back from 17 points down on Wednesday to stop the Nets, 114-107, and took a 2-0 lead in the series with the games heading to Gotham. Let’s make some predictions for what to expect out of Game 3, set for Saturday afternoon in Brooklyn.
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So what happened in Game 2? Once again, it was the Boston defense that did just enough. The Celtics kept Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant off balance for much of the game, while Jaylen Brown had 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to help key the rally. KD did not score a field goal in the second half, but for Boston, Jayson Tatum (19), Al Horford (16), Daniel Theis (15) and Payton Pritchard (10) all hit double figures on the game, with eight of Pritchard’s points coming in that crucial fourth quarter. Durant put up 27 points for the night but went just 4 of 17 from the floor; Irving went just 4 of 13. Combined, the duo went just 1 of 17 in the second half.
Here are some things you can expect to see in Game 3. First of all, the Boston defense can’t shut down the Brooklyn offense indefinitely, simply because of the sheer talent involved. It is past time for NEts coach Steve Nash to make some adjustments. Moving to New York means that the arena will not be full of fans trying to get under Kyrie Irving’s skin – so we won’t see Irving throwing up double birds. Instead, the Nets will be able to get their offense going and find a rhythm. This Nets team has its collective back against the wall, and they will respond in kind. So I expect to see Brooklyn winning and covering, and if you want to buy points on the spread, I’d buy as high as Brooklyn -7.
What about KD? We have seen him take over games in a wide variety of settings, and I see returning to Barclays Center giving him another opportunity to do just that. He has made just 13 of 41 shots from the floor (31.7%) in the first two games, and he has only knocked down two three-balls. Brooklyn’s offense relies on isolation, and so the Nets need KD to find his shooting touch. He is averaging 25 points per game in the series, but his shooting has still been a problem, and he also has a dozen turnovers in the two games. Returning home should help him find his game, so if you can find a scoring prop for KD, I would bet on him scoring at least 30 in Game 3.
The emergence of Bruce Brown has also been impresive. He put up 23 points, eight boards and four assists in Game 2. Ben Simmons is not supposed to return until Game 4 at the earliest, which will give Brown some room to put up some more numbers. With the rest of the Brooklyn offense clicking at home, Brown’s distribution will prove crucial as well. Look for Brown to get at least seven assists with an improved Brooklyn offense.
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