The Boston Celtics have already lost two games this season to the Brooklyn Nets, but they will get another shot at beating their Atlantic Division rivals this Friday at Barclay Center. Check out our preview of this game below.
After surviving the onslaught of Stephen Curry in a 119-114 home win over the Golden State Warriors last Saturday to extend their win streak to six games, the Celtics saw that same unbeaten run come to an end in a 102-96 home loss to the Chicago Bulls on Monday. Boston certainly missed the services of point guard Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart against the Bulls due to illnesses, so their availability for the match against Brooklyn should be closely monitored. Boston has lost both of the two games against the Nets so far this season, but this time around, the Celtics will have a Brooklyn team that is likely to be without Kevin Durant and James Harden, who are both dealing with injuries. As for the Celtics, they will play with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Tatum has averaged 25.5 points in the two games against the Nets, while Brown averaged 20.0 points in those contests.
The Celtics, who will play the Phoenix Suns at home this Thursday, are 6-0 against the spread in their last six road games.
The Nets are dealing with injuries to two of their superstars. Kevin Durant is currently probably to play because of a left thigh contusion, which he suffered in last Sunday’s loss to the Miami Heat, while James Harden is labeled indefinitely out due to a hamstring issue. But at least the Nets still have Kyrie Irving, who will undoubtedly be the leader of the Nets until Harden or Durant returns. Irving was fantastic in the last game, albeit in a 134-129 road loss to the New Orleans Pelicans last Tuesday, as he scored 32 points. Landry Shamet and Joe Harris also had good games, scoring 18 and 24 points, respectively. The Nets can still score even without Durant and Harden. Irving is good enough to be the focal point of Brooklyn’s attack while Harris, Shamet, and Blake Griffin act as secondary options. The Nets are second in the NBA as of this writing with an average of 119.1 points per game.
Brooklyn, which plays the Toronto Raptors on the road this Wednesday before returning home for the Celtics game, is 3-2 against the spread in its last five games at Barclays Center.
