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The struggling Brooklyn Nets will remain without Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and trade acquisition Ben Simmons on Thursday when they start the second half of the season vs. the Boston Celtics, who are favored on the NBA odds.

How to Bet Celtics at Nets NBA Odds & TV Info

When: Thursday, 7:30 PM ET
Where: Barclays Center
TV: TNT
Stream: TNT app
Radio: Tunein.com
NBA Odds: Celtics -4

Season Series

The teams have split two meetings. They last played Feb. 8 in Brooklyn and the Celtics rolled 126-91. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart each scored 22 points. Boston jumped to an historic 28-2 lead in a game that was never in doubt. Without Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving, the Nets weren’t competitive. Harden has since been traded. Jevon Carter led the Nets with 21 points but he’s no longer with the team.

Why Bet on Boston?

The Celtics are playing as well as anyone in the NBA right now in having won nine of 10, although their nine-game winning streak was snapped in a home shocker to Detroit, 112-111, in the final game before the All-Star break. That was a look-ahead game. Jerami Grant hit the winning basket and scored 24 points to help the Detroit Pistons end an eight-game losing streak.

Jayson Tatum had a chance to send the Celtics into the All-Star break on a 10-game roll, but his jumper from the top of the key bounced high off the rim. Grant Williams started vs. Detroit and scored 17 points with three rebounds. Williams continued to shoot the lights out from 3-point range by canning four of his seven attempts against the Pistons. That effort takes his season 3-point percentage up to 44.6 percent, which leads the Celtics and ranks second in the NBA among qualifying players.

Robert Williams missed a second straight game with a calf issue, but coach Ime Udoka said it’s not a long-term concern so Robert Williams should be ready for this one. His minutes workload has jumped from 18.9 MPG to 30 MPG, and he’s started in all 47 games he’s played this year. Williams is currently ranked third among centers for Defensive Win Shares, third in total blocks among all players, and third in defensive rating among starting centers (minimum 30 games played).

Derrick White started for Marcus Smart (ankle) vs. Detroit and had nine points, six rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks. Smart also should be good to go Thursday. Smart is ranked fifth in the NBA in steals per game and is fourth in the league in total steals.

Boston has won its past three road games by 30 or more points, which is a first in NBA history. Right before the break, Tatum reached 7,000 career points, 2,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists which makes him just the sixth player in NBA history to amass those totals before turning the age of 24. He joined Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady.

Why Bet on Brooklyn?

Kevin Durant remains out injured for the Nets and Kyrie Irving still can’t play in home games due to the COVID vaccine mandate in New York City. Trade acquisition Ben Simmons isn’t ready yet, either, but is ramping up his activity and hopes to play in the next few weeks.

Irving was streaming on Twitch this week and thinks that the Nets are going to be a force during the second half of the season. “Just watch how our squad comes out of this All-Star Break,” Irving said.

The Nets did get some help over the break in winning the “bidding” for free agent point guard Goran Dragic – not clear if he will be ready to debut in this game.

Dragic began the season on the Toronto Raptors before he was sent to the San Antonio Spurs at the trade deadline and subsequently had his contract bought out. Dragic played in five games this season with the Raptors, averaging 8.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 18.0 minutes per game. The 35-year-old native of Slovenia was named an All-Star in the 2017-18 season.

In his 15th NBA season, Dragic still has recent playoff success on his résumé. He started 16 postseason games and averaged 19 points during the Miami Heat’s run to the NBA Finals in 2020 before a plantar fasciitis injury sidelined him in the Finals. To make the deal work, the Nets decided to waive guard Jevon Carter.

The Nets have used a league-high 32 different starting fives, with 18 Nets drawing at least one start. Brooklyn is 9-0 this season when holding its opponent under 100 points. Brooklyn is also 12-1 when holding its opponent under .400 FG % this season (10-0 last season). The Nets are 11-1 this season when scoring 120+ points and 13-2 when shooting at least 50 percent.

Game Trends

Celtics are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a road favorite.
Celtics are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss.
Nets are 6-19-1 ATS in their last 26 home games.
Nets are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
Nets are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
Celtics are 2-8 ATS in the last 10 meetings.