There was a time, many months ago, when the Brooklyn Nets were favored to win the championship. Now, the Nets are on the precipice of first-round elimination, and by sweep, no less. Trailing 3-0 in a best-of-7 series vs. Boston, the Nets are slim Game 4 home favorites on the NBA playoff odds board.
So Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving either make a last-gasp effort Monday night, or start scheduling tee times.
Props.com grabs insights from multiple oddsmakers on NBA playoff odds for Celtics vs. Nets Game 4. Check back for updates through Monday’s tipoff.
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NBA Playoff Odds and Betting Action
No. 2 Boston Celtics vs No. 7 Brooklyn Nets (7 p.m. ET)
UPDATE 5 P.M. ET MONDAY: Late Saturday night, Brooklyn opened as a 3-point favorite in DraftKings’ Monday NBA playoff odds market, and that number lasted all of four minutes. The line then dipped to Nets -2.5 on the way to -1 Sunday afternoon.
A couple of hours before tipoff, Brooklyn remains -1 while taking 56% of spread bets and 63% of spread dollars. Interestingly, it appears Celtics bettors prefer to eschew the points and play the moneyline, taking Boston to win outright and sweep this series. Boston shortened from +130 to -105 on the moneyline, while netting 63% of tickets and 79% of cash.
The total nudged from 220.5 to 220 early Sunday and hasn’t budged since. The Over is seeing 64% of tickets/58% of money.
UPDATE 5 P.M. ET SUNDAY: In Saturday’s Game 3, Brooklyn darted out to a 12-5 in the first few minutes. For a few fleeting moments, perhaps there was a thought that this might actually become a competitive series. However, Boston quickly got back in it, and after a Durant bucket gave the Nets a 20-19 lead later in the first quarter, Brooklyn never led again.
Boston, a 4-point road ‘dog, stretched the lead to double digits multiple times and held off every Brooklyn run in a 109-103 victory. The Celtics (54-31 SU, 47-37-1 ATS) are now 29-6 SU/23-12 ATS since Jan. 29. That includes runs of 7-1 SU in their last seven games and 6-1 ATS in their last six. Further, Boston is 14-3 ATS in its last 17 against teams with a winning record.
Not boding well for the Nets (45-41 SU, 34-50-2 ATS) is their dismal spread-covering mark at Barclays Center. With the Game 3 setback, Brooklyn is 6-27-1 ATS in their 34 home games. Overall, the Nets are on a 3-9 ATS purge.
This playoff matchup is going nothing like the 2020-21 season first-round series between these two teams. Brooklyn went 4-1 SU and ATS last year, coasting into the second round. Now, Boston is eyeing the sweep. And on the season, the Celts are 6-1 SU/5-2 ATS against the Nets, including a current 6-0 SU/5-1 ATS run.
Saturday’s game fell well short of the 222 total, the second straight Under after a 5-0 run in this season’s previous five clashes. In fact, the Under is 8-2 in the Nets’ last 10 games and is on a 7-1 run with Brooklyn favored. But keep an eye on the Game 4 line, as the Nets might not go off as favorites.
Late Saturday night, TwinSpires Sportsbook opened Brooklyn at -2.5, and the Nets are now down to -1.5. Brooklyn is seeing 59% of early spread tickets, but Boston is landing 66% of early spread cash.
“Sharp play on Celtics +2.5,” TwinSpires director of retail sports Zachary Lucas said.
The total inched down from 220.5 to 220, with 62% of tickets/54% of cash on the Over.