Nets-Celtics: What to Expect From Kevin Durant in Game 2

by CCSports

April 20, 2022

Reading Time: 4 mins read

The Brooklyn Nets take on the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of their first-round matchup on Wednesday night.

The Nets lost Game 1 on a Jayson Tatum buzzer-beater, but the coverage of Kyrie Irving‘s interactions with Boston fans may have been just as rampant in the news cycle as the action on the court. The Celtics will look to win their fourth straight against the Nets and go up 2-0 in the series in the midst of the chaos on and off the court.

Nets-Celtics Game 2 Odds

Spread: Celtics -3.5
Total: 226.0
Moneyline: Nets +140
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Watch: fuboTV
Odds via PointsBet

Betting Trend to Watch

The Celtics were the best defensive team in the league this season (with a net rating of 106.2) but you probably knew that already. However, over the past nine games (including the five this season) between these two franchises, the over has hit on eight occasions.

Prop Bet to Watch

Kevin Durant Over 29.5 points (-136)

Brooklyn is a unique offensive team because of their two superstars, though as Matt Moore of The Action Network points out, Boston did a nice job of slowing down Kevin Durant (23 points on 9-for-24 shooting in Game 1). The Celtics utilized a team strategy to bother Durant before he got the ball.

In 152 total playoff games, there are just seven instances of Durant attempting at least 24 shots and making nine or fewer buckets. It doesn’t happen. Durant has six total streaks of shooting worse than 40% in the playoffs.

It happened in 2018 against the Houston Rockets, a switching defense like the Celtics, but Boston is much better. It also happened in 2016 against the Golden State Warriors, another switching defense like Boston that was very much on that same level. It hasn’t happened otherwise since 2015.

While Boston’s formula of length and ability to switch everything will no doubt keep Durant from having blockbuster games as frequently, as Moore notes, it doesn’t historically shut down Durant’s offense for an entire series. Expect the former MVP to have a bounceback game on Wednesday night.

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Ben Simmons Watch

Ben Simmons won’t play in Game 2, though he has progressed to 4-on-4 action, as coach Steve Nash told reporters on Tuesday. Optimistic reports of Simmons’ ability to make his Brooklyn debut during the Nets-Celtics series surfaced over the weekend and while there’s no concrete date for a return, the latest development is a step in the right direction.