After three games on the road, the Boston Celtics are heading back home. After a few days' rest for both teams, they and the Brooklyn Nets will meet up at 3:30 p.m. ET April 17 at TD Garden. If the game is anything like Boston's 126-120 victory from their previous meeting in March, the scorekeeper will be kept real busy.
You can't lose the contest if you win every quarter, and that was precisely the Celtics' strategy against the Memphis Grizzlies last week. Boston took their matchup against Memphis by a conclusive 139-110 score. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 72-49. It was another big night for Boston's small forward Jayson Tatum, who shot 6-for-8 from downtown and finished with 31 points and nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-108 last Tuesday. Among those leading the charge for the Nets was point guard Kyrie Irving, who posted a double-double on 34 points and 12 dimes.
The Celtics are the favorite in this one, with an expected 4-point margin of victory. They might be worth taking a chance on against the spread as they are currently on a four-game streak of ATS wins.
The wins brought Boston up to 51-31 and Brooklyn to 1-0. Two stats to keep an eye on: Boston have been holding their opponents to a field goal percentage of 43.40%, which places them first in the league. But the Nets come into the contest boasting the fourth highest field goal percentage in the league at 47.50%. These opposing strengths should make for an exciting matchup.
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