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The Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets will match up in the NBA’s second day back from the All-Star Break on Thursday, March 11th. This will be the first of a TNT doubleheader at 7:30 p.m. ET from Barclays Center.
Marcus Smart is expected to return to the court for Boston for the first time since January 30th with a calf injury. We’ll see how much he plays in his first game back, but it should be a boost for this Celtics team that has a 19-17 record this season.
The Nets come in with a 24-13 and are playing as good as any team in the NBA right now. Kevin Durant remains out, and Brooklyn will likely be without Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot with a knee injury, and Jeff Green is questionable with a shoulder injury.
Celtics vs. Nets, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Pick ATS: Nets -2.5
Brooklyn is playing at a very high level right now even as Durant tries to heal from a hamstring injury he suffered last month. The Nets won 10 of their last 11 games and had the same record against the spread in that span. While Boston tries to work in Smart to the lineup, Brooklyn will be focused on sending a message to the rest of the Eastern Conference in the first game out of the break.
Player Prop: Jaylen Brown O23.5 points (-110)
The Nets have the best offense in basketball, but they are still really bad on the defensive end, and that’s where Jaylen Brown will take advantage. He is averaging 24.7 points per game this season, which would already hit the over on this number set by oddsmakers. Combine that with going up against one of the worst defenses in basketball? Let’s root for Brown to score more than 23.5 points on Thursday night.
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