NBA
Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction
Date: Saturday 14th March 2025 Start time: 5 pm local time (10 pm BST) Venue: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York City, New York Last meeting: November 13, 2024, Boston Celtics 139-114 Brooklyn Nets This inter-state rivalry between the Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics will commence on Saturday evening.
Jayson Tatum//Getty Images
This inter-state rivalry between the Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics will commence on Saturday evening. At the time of writing, the Boston Celtics are on a four-game win streak and as always will be one of the teams to beat considering they are the reigning and defending NBA champions. The Nets’ form is completely the opposite, as the franchise has lost seven in a row and possesses the second worst home record in the Eastern Conference.
SportsBoom has prepared an extensive preview, highlighting key details about this matchup. We break down the team lineups, review their head-to-head records, and offer our expert predictions and betting tips for the game.
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Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability
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Brooklyn Nets: 9/4 (3.25) – 30.8%
Boston Celtics: 4/11 (1.36) – 73.3%
Forecast odds – Betting available on 1Win closer to event
Head-to-Head Record
This all-Eastern Conference affair has seen a plethora of regular season matches throughout history, with matches taking place over six decades. This matchup has seen 217 regular season games played. The Boston Celtics are the clear leaders overall, dominating this fixture to take 143 overall wins.
The Nets have won only 74 times, with their last win arriving in March 2023, two years before this matchup. The Celtics have won six games in a row and look unchallenged for the most part, establishing dominant wins aside from a recent overtime victory in November of 2024.
Last Five Matches
| Season | Date | Result |
| 2024/25 Season | November 13, 2024 | Boston Celtics 139-114 Brooklyn Nets |
| 2024/25 Season | November 8, 2024 | Boston Celtics 108-104 Brooklyn Nets |
| 2023/24 Season | February 14, 2024 | Boston Celtics 136-86 Brooklyn Nets |
| 2023/24 Season | February 13, 2024 | Boston Celtics 118-110 Brooklyn Nets |
| 2023/24 Season | November 10, 2023 | Boston Celtics 121-107 Brooklyn Nets |
How is the season so far for both teams?
Boston Celtics
- Record: 46-18
- Home Form: 22-11
- Road Form: 24-7
The Boston Celtics will likely finish the regular season as the second seed considering the distance between themselves and the first seed, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team’s roster is stacked with talent in every area, which is no surprise given their success last season, and the team look to win back-to-back championships for the first time since the 1960s. The Celtics are one of the NBA’s biggest franchises, therefore achieving this feat would be an impressive feat for them.
Jayson Tatum has featured in 60 games this season for the franchise and unsurprisingly, once again, is one of the standout performers on the team’s roster. He is the lead operator for points, assists, and rebounds per game. The newly turned 27-year-old is averaging 27.1, 5.8 and 8.9 per game in these areas, showing incredible capabilities on a game-by-game basis.
In addition, shooting guard Jaylen Brown is the second player on the roster to average over 20 points per game. He has featured in fewer matches but remains a prevalent figure in the team, boasting 23.2 points, 4.8 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game. Brown is exceeding his career averages in every area and is certainly one to look out for in every game he features in.
Brooklyn Nets
- Record: 21-42
- Home Form: 9-21
- Road Form: 12-21
The Brooklyn Nets’ minor chances of securing the final play-in place will likely fade away if they continue their current form. They have only won two of their last ten fixtures, which has seen them fall to 12th. The roster is only 4.5 games behind the tenth seed, the Chicago Bulls, but improving on their torrid form needs to be the first obstacle to overcome. Can the Nets finally turn their fortunes around?
Their most efficient scorer, 23-year-old Cam Thomas, is averaging 23.8 points for the season. He cemented his way back into the side after a long-term injury, but has been ruled out for a matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers before this matchup, therefore it is unclear on his expected return date. If he is eligible and deemed fit to play, he will be a big help to the wider roster.
D'Angelo Russell is back in the Brooklyn borough for a second stint with the organization after joining from the Los Angeles Lakers. The last time he played for the side was in the 2018/19 season, but since joining once again, he is playing his best stuff this season. He is averaging 14.1 points, 5.7 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game. Russell has contested in 20 games but started 17 since he moved back to the east coast.
Value Bets
Cam Thomas, Over 25 Points: Should he be fit to play, we select Cam Thomas as our first value bet. He will be playing an indispensable role for the team in their quest to produce a shock win over the Celtics, considering he has an average of 21.2 points per game from his last five meetings. Thomas produced at least 25 points in three of these matches, therefore we predict him to emulate this.
Jayson Tatum, Over 25 Points and Over 7 Rebounds and Over 5 Assists: Jayson Tatum is playing at such a level that our predicted stat line sounds like a typical performance. We are predicting over 25 points, over 7 rebounds and over 5 assists because his all-round game is impressive against the Nets. His game varies on the day where he might have a standout performance in one area, but these stats align with his career averages.
Prediction: Boston Celtics to win
SportsBoom predicts the Boston Celtics will win this match. Aside from one overtime victory, the Celtics have displayed true dominance in this tie in their previous meetings. The depth within the squad is significantly better than the Brooklyn Nets’ side, leading to the conclusion this should be a very comfortable victory for the defending NBA champions.
Henry Cheal is a versatile freelance sports journalist with extensive experience in the industry. Henry has previously worked at the 2024 World Snooker Championship and earned a Multimedia Sports Journalism degree from UCFB in 2023.
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