Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets Prediction, 4/23/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets

Date: Friday, April 23, 2021

Location: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY

TV: YES

Odds/Point Spread: Boston (+5.5)

Barclays Center is the site where and the Brooklyn Nets (39-20) will play the Boston Celtics (31-27) on Friday. Boston opens this contest as 5.5-point underdogs. The total is set at 227.

The Boston Celtics faced off with the Chicago Bulls and took a loss by a score of 102-96 in their last contest. Boston walked away from the game having earned a 46.8% FG percentage (36 out of 77) and knocked down 10 of 25 3-point shots. At the free throw line, the Celtics made 14 of 15 shots for a rate of 93.3%. When talking about grabbing boards, they collected a total of 39 with 3 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 21 dimes in this game in addition to forcing 12 turnovers and getting 8 steals. In relation to the defense, Boston allowed the other team to go 45.1% from the floor on 41 out of 91 shooting. Chicago distributed 30 assists and had 11 steals for the game. On top of that, Chicago snagged 40 boards (9 offensive, 31 defensive) and got 3 blocks. Chicago finished 90.0% at the free throw line by converting 9 of 10 attempts. They also knocked down 11 out of their 32 attempts from long range.

Jaylen Brown is a guy who played a role in this contest. He accumulated 23 points on 10 out of 15 shooting. He played for 37:01 minutes and totaled 4 rebounds. Brown walked away from this one shooting 66.7% from the floor and distributed 1 assist. Another guy that was a factor in the game for the Celtics was Jayson Tatum. He grabbed 13 rebounds in 37:00 minutes on the hardwood. He ended up shooting 17.6% from the floor in this contest via 3-of-17 (14 points). Overall, Tatum totaled 10 assists.

Boston will enter this matchup with a win-loss mark of 31-27 this year. They average 112.4 pts per contest (16th in the NBA) on 47.0% from the field. The Celtics are shooting 37.5% on 3-pointers (767 of 2,046) and 77.3% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Boston is grabbing 44.1 boards per game and has accumulated 1,356 assists so far this season, which ranks 23rd in the NBA in terms of passing. They turn it over 14.0 times per contest and as a squad they commit 20.4 personal fouls per contest. On the defensive end of the court, the Celtics are forcing 14.2 turnovers per game and they draw 19.3 fouls. They are 5th in the league in allowing assists with 1,380 conceded for the campaign. The Celtics are allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 46.3% (824 of 1,118) and they concede 42.1 boards per game as a team. They are surrendering 37.1% on shots from downtown and they are ranked 10th in the league in points per game allowed (110.4).

When they last stepped on the court, the Brooklyn Nets took a loss by a final score of 114-103 against the Toronto Raptors. The Nets pulled down 38 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive boards totaling 50 in this contest. They also gave up possession 13 times, while getting 3 steals for the contest. The Raptors committed 20 personal fouls for the contest which got the Nets to the charity stripe for 23 tries. They were able to bury 18 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 78.3%. When discussing 3-pointers, Brooklyn buried 13 out of 41 tries (31.7%). Overall, the Nets walked away from this one shooting 36 for 91 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 39.6%. The Nets permitted the Raptors to bury 39 of 90 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 43.3% for the game. They shot 38.3% from behind the 3-point line by going 18 of 47 and finished the game at 18 out of 21 at the free throw line (85.7%). Regarding how they rebounded, Brooklyn permitted Toronto to pull down 48 in all (9 offensive).

Kyrie Irving ended up having an impact for the Nets in the game. He buried 10 out of 21 in the matchup for a field goal percentage of 47.6%, and accumulated 11 rebounds. Irving racked up 28 points in his 37:08 minutes on the court and had 8 dimes in this game. One more player that was important for Brooklyn was Joe Harris. He wrapped the game up with 1 assist in 33:52 minutes played, and he converted 5 out of 10 from the floor. Harris ended the game having shot 50.0% from the floor as well as totaling 14 points and 4 rebounds.

Brooklyn has a record of 39-20 this season. Brooklyn has accounted for 7,008 points on the season (118.8 per contest) and they collect 44.3 rebounds per contest. The Nets commit 19.1 personal fouls per contest and they go 80.3% from the charity stripe. As an offense, the Nets are connecting on 49.4% from the field, which ranks 1st in the NBA. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 26.7 times per game (6th in the NBA) and they turn it over 13.9 times per contest. The Nets on the defensive side of the court are 22nd in the NBA in points per game surrendered with 114.4. They surrender 24.5 assists and 42.3 boards every game, which is ranked 13th and 8th in the NBA. The Brooklyn defense concedes 36.7% on shots from beyond the arc (773 of 2,109) and opponents are knocking down 77.3% of their shots from the free throw line. They are forcing 12.8 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.4% from the field (13th in basketball).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Brooklyn (-5.5)

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