Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets 4/25/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Predictions

Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets Matchup Preview (4/25/22)

The Boston Celtics are leading the playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets 3-0, and Ben Simmons will probably not be returning this series after reports surfaced a few days ago that he’d be playing in Game Four. Going down three games to none in the NBA Playoffs is virtually a playoff death sentence, and any effort to extend the series is merely an attempt to prolong the inevitable pridefully. Jayson Tatum has emerged as a bonafide superstar in this league, especially in this series, as he has significantly outperformed the greatest scorer ever in Kevin Durant. Tatum had a subpar Game Two but has looked phenomenal since then. It turns out that the combination of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum could work, and all that was needed was for everyone on the team to buy into each other. Mission accomplished.

Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets Betting Odds

I must sound like a broken record because I have made this statement in virtually every article that features the Nets playing at home: I will not bet on the Brooklyn Nets against the spread at home. Barclays is a cursed place as far as the spread is concerned, as the Nets hold an ATS record of 9-33-1 this season. In addition to the fact that Brooklyn seems incapable of covering at home, I don’t see the Nets having the same do-or-die mentality that the Denver Nuggets and Toronto Raptors played with. I will gladly take the Boston Celtics against the spread; they should close the book on this series convincingly.

I will be hammering the under at 220 points for this matchup. Expect both teams to work late into the shot clock in an elimination game and buckle down defensively. Two of the first three games of this series have gone over this point total; however, I expect some shooting regression from both teams and longer possessions.

How To Watch

Date: 4/25/22
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Arena: Barclays Center – Brooklyn, NY
Channel: TNT

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Boston Celtics Starting Lineup

PG: Marcus Smart
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Al Horford
C: Daniel Theis

Boston Celtics Analysis

In the first two games of the series, Boston was able to get wins without Robert Williams. Williams returned in Game Three, and his impact was not seen in the stat sheet, but the morale was even higher than it had been before. This Boston squad looks like a legitimate championship contender, and a sweep of the Brooklyn Nets would make most people believers in this team. The saying “defense wins championships” could be muttered from time to time throughout the next five or six weeks. The C’s have forced Brooklyn to turn it over 16 times per game, which does not seem to be going away anytime soon. Boston’s stifling defense has held Kevin Durant, the world’s best scorer, to a 22-point average in this series and Kyrie Irving, the world’s best ball-handler, to 13 points per game in Games Two and Three. The bottom line is that there has not been another team in the Eastern Conference that looks remotely as solid as the Celtics. It is hard to imagine them losing four times to anyone leading to the NBA Finals.

Brooklyn Nets Starting Lineup

PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Seth Curry
SF: Bruce Brown Jr.
PF: Kevin Durant
C: Andre Drummond

Brooklyn Nets Analysis

I’m deeply sorry, Brooklyn Nets fans. Who could have predicted that Ben Simmons’ return would be pushed back yet again? Well, we all could have, but we allowed optimism to blind us. Brooklyn is in a 3-0 hole right now, and the walls are closing in on its roller coaster, reality TV type of season. As I’ve mentioned in articles before, no team has ever come back from being down 3-0 in a series; it’s a playoff death sentence. Brooklyn certainly has the talent to pull it off, but the Celtics’ defense is so insanely strong that it hardly seems like a possible outcome. The Nets needed Ben Simmons as every single game was a single-digit loss. If Simmons was available for all the games, Brooklyn at least would be coming away with one of those. In that case, this would still be a series; however, there is no traveling to the past.