The Celtics (-7) Have Won Nine Out Of Their Last Ten Games

Paul Scruggs had this sick shot to send it to triple-overtime, but No. 11 Providence still pulled out the W — let’s talk Celtics vs. Nets 👇

Celtics vs. Nets Preview

As exciting as NBA All-Star Weekend was (alright, except for maybe the dunk contest 😬), going the past few days without any pro hoops has been absolutely brutal. Fortunately, the wait is over, and we’ve got a loaded Thursday night on tap 🙌

One matchup that’s surely not lacking intrigue is going down in Brooklyn, where the Nets will host a familiar foe, the Boston Celtics. Check out the lines ahead of the teams’ third meeting this year 👇

Celtics @ Nets Betting Preview (subject to change)

• Spread: Celtics -7

• Moneyline: Celtics -275 (bet $275, win $100), Nets +230 (bet $100, win $230)

• Over/Under: 213.5

Boston enters the matchup just a half game up on Toronto in the race for the sixth seed in the East, with Brooklyn another two games back in eighth 📉

Headed Separate Ways

It’s almost fitting the Nets and Celtics get to face each other in their first game after the break — to say the past month has gone differently for the two teams would be an understatement 😳

• On January 23, Boston was a game under .500. Since then they’ve gone 11-2. They had a nine-game win streak snapped in a one-point loss to Detroit their last time out

• Over that same timeframe, Brooklyn’s is 2-12, causing them to drop from second in the East to their current spot in the play-in tournament

• Oh, and the Nets have the worst record against the spread this season

The two squads were already in the midst of streaking in opposite directions when they last met back on February 8, and the matchup went about how you’d expect, given the trends

• The Celtics stayed hot against the shorthanded Nets, cruising to a 126-91 victory at the Barclays Center. Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart led all scorers with 22 apiece

• Meanwhile, the Nets, without the entirety of their Big Three (RIP 😢), didn’t have single starter hit double figures

While the newest iteration of Brooklyn’s Big Three will once again be out this time around, fortunately some additional reinforcements have arrived

• Deadline additions Seth Curry and Andre Drummond have immediately provided a boost. Curry led the team in scoring in his debut and is putting up 18.3 PPG, while Drummond is grabbing over 12 RPG since arriving

• Goran Dragic has reunited with former teammate Steve Nash and joined the Nets via the buyout market (although the veteran guard won’t make his debut tonight)

Boston’s own deadline add, Derrick White, has made a strong early impression as well. So expect some new faces to be a big factor in tonight’s outcome 💪

Trivia question: Steve Nash isn’t Dragic’s only former Suns’ teammate on the Nets coaching staff — who is the other? (answer below)

Western Conference Action

Any matchup between two teams from Boston and New York will always grab the spotlight, but I gotta give a shoutout to the clash between two of the most exciting teams out West. Peep the lines ahead of the showdown between the Grizzlies and Timberwolves 👇

Grizzlies @ Timberwolves Betting Preview (subject to change)

• Spread: Grizzlies -3

• Moneyline: Grizzlies -140 (bet $140, win $100), Timberwolves +120 (bet $100, win $120)

• Over/Under: 239

The Grizzlies, the current three-seed, will be looking to improve upon their last visit to Minnesota. The 43-point loss back in December was their worst since 2018. But…the Grizzlies have the best record against the spread this season

• Ja Morant doesn’t seem the type to let that happen again. Fresh off his first All-Star appearance, the third-year guard is simply on another level right now, averaging 32.8 PPG over his last 12 outings

• Speaking of All-Star festivities, who predicted KAT (+1200) taking home the three-point contest?? Minnesota’s star center can do more than just shoot it (41% from three), having notched three straight double-doubles

Ja and KAT are the headliners suiting up in this one, but you can’t forget about JJJ, Edwards, Bane and D-Lo — none of these studs are older than 26. The young talent in this league is absurd 🤯

For My Parlay Gurus

The Celtics’ recent surge was already convincing enough, but seeing the ol Big Three back together again last weekend is all the more reason to buy the good vibes in Boston 😂 . I’m going with the Shamrocks and the Griz — take a look 👇

• Celtics -7 @ Nets: -110

• Grizzlies -3 vs. Timberwolves: -110

$100 on this bet would net $264 — if we hit, make sure to email [email protected] for $100*. First come, first serve 😉

Trivia question: 6X NBA All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire spent two years in Phoenix with Dragic. He currently serves as a Player Development Assistant for the Nets