Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets Prediction, 5/22/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets

Date: Saturday, May 22, 2021

Location: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY

TV: ABC

Odds/Point Spread: Boston (+8)

The Boston Celtics (36-36) are headed to Barclays Center on Saturday where they'll take on the Brooklyn Nets (48-24) in Game 1 of their series. The line on this contest has Brooklyn as 8-point favorites. The over/under opens at 226.5.

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The Boston Celtics faced the Washington Wizards and notched a win by a score of 118-100 in their play-in game. Boston walked away from the game with a 39.6% FG percentage (38 of 96) and made 15 of their 45 3-point attempts. When they shot from the free throw line, the Celtics knocked down 27 of their 32 shots for a rate of 84.4%. Pertaining to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 49 with 14 of them being offensive. They also doled out 20 assists in this game as well as forcing 15 turnovers and having 8 steals. When discussing the defense, Boston allowed their opponent to shoot 43.5% from the floor on 40 out of 92 shooting. Washington earned 17 assists and had 5 steals in the game. In addition, Washington collected 49 rebounds (13 offensive, 36 defensive) and had 5 blocked shots. Washington ended up going 85.0% when shooting free throws by burying 17 of their 20 shots. They also converted 3 of 21 attempts from long range.

Jayson Tatum is a guy who was important in the game. He accumulated 50 points on 14 out of 32 shooting. He was on the court for 40:37 mins and snagged 8 rebounds. Tatum finished 43.8% from the floor and also distributed 4 assists. One more player that was a major factor in this matchup for the Celtics was Kemba Walker. He collected 7 rebounds in 33:55 min on the court. He shot 41.7% from the floor in the game by hitting 10-of-24 (29 points). When the final whistle blew, Walker accounted for 2 assists.

Boston enters this matchup with a win-loss record of 36-36 on the season. They lose possession via turnover 14.1 times per game and as a basketball team they are committing 20.4 fouls every game. As a unit, Boston is pulling in 44.3 rebounds per game and has accounted for 1,689 assists so far this year, which ranks 25th in the NBA in terms of passing the ball. The Celtics are shooting 37.4% on 3-pointers (979 of 2,618) and 77.5% from the free throw line. They are averaging 112.6 points per outing (16th in the league) while connecting on 46.6% from the field. On defense, the Celtics have forced 14.1 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 19.3 fouls. They are giving up 37.4% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 11th in the NBA in PPG allowed (111.2). The Celtics defense is giving up an opponent FG percentage of 46.4% (1,015 of 1,389) and they surrender 42.5 boards per contest as a unit. They are 9th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 1,732 relinquished on the year.

For their last game, the Brooklyn Nets got the victory with a final of 123-109 when they faced the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Nets were able to corral 33 defensive boards and 4 offensive rebounds for a total of 37 in this game. They also turned it over 12 times, while getting 9 steals for this contest. The Cavaliers committed 14 fouls in this game which got the Nets to the charity stripe for a total of 17 shots. They were able to knock down 13 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 76.5%. In relation to shooting from distance, Brooklyn knocked down 16 out of 30 tries (53.3%). At the conclusion of this game, the Nets shot 47 for 83 from the field which gave them a rate of 56.6%. The Nets permitted the Cavaliers to convert 38 of their 85 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 44.7% for the matchup. They finished shooting 30.8% from 3-point land by shooting 12 of 39 and finished the contest at 21 of 31 from the free throw line (67.7%). When talking about how they attacked the glass, Brooklyn permitted Cleveland to pull down 45 in total (11 offensive).

Kevin Durant ended up having an impact for the Nets in the game. He converted 8 of 10 for this game for a rate of 80.0%, and tallied 8 rebounds. Durant totaled 23 points in his 28:55 mins of playing time and accumulated 13 assists in this game. An additional guy that ended being a contributor for Brooklyn was Kyrie Irving. He ended up with 2 dimes in 28:55 mins on the hardwood, and he put in 7 out of 11 from the floor. Irving wrapped this one up going 63.6% from the floor and also totaling 17 points and 6 boards.

Brooklyn has a mark of 48-24 on the year. As an offensive team, the Nets are shooting 49.4% from the floor, which ranks them 1st in the league. Brooklyn has scored 8,537 points so far this year (118.6 per contest) and they collect 44.4 rebounds per game. They are getting an assist 26.8 times per contest (7th in basketball) and they turn it over 13.5 times per game. The Nets are responsible for committing 19.0 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 80.4% from the charity stripe. The Nets are ranked 21st in basketball in points given up per game with 114.1. They are forcing their opponents into 12.6 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 45.9% from the field (7th in basketball). The Brooklyn defense surrenders 36.5% on 3-point attempts (951 of 2,607) and opponents are making 77.5% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 24.0 assists and 43.1 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks 8th and 12th in the NBA.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take Brooklyn (-8) and over 226.5 points

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