The Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics get together for Game 5 of a first round series at Barclays Center on Tuesday evening. The Nets lead the series by a 3-1 margin on the heels of a dominant 141-126 victory on Sunday in Boston.
While Game 4 garnered the most attention for very unfortunate reasons after a fan threw a water bottle at Nets guard Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn was unbelievably impressive on the offensive end. The Nets scored 112 points through three quarters and, if not for garbage time, Brooklyn may have threatened the all-time record for offensive rating in a postseason game. Even with that fourth-quarter downturn, the Nets posted 73.3 percent true shooting in the game, with Kevin Durant scoring 42 points and Irving putting up 39 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.
The Celtics will aim to stay alive, and Boston may have found an avenue for offensive success in Game 4. Though the Celtics weren’t able to slow Brooklyn’s high-powered offense, Brad Stevens’ team took a whopping 42 free throws, with Jayson Tatum getting to the line for 17 attempts of his own. Tatum has 90 points in the last two games, and he is carrying an obscenely large workload in the absence of Jaylen Brown. Boston is unquestionably fighting an uphill battle in the series, but Brooklyn’s potential for defensive lapses does leave the door open for a competitive environment in Game 5, even with a rather lofty point spread.
From a betting standpoint, Game 4 went Over the total of 229 points and Brooklyn covered the closing point spread of 8.5 points as a favorite.
Game 5 TV Info
Tip Time: Tuesday, June 1; 7:30 p.m. ET
TV Network: TNT
Game 5 Betting Lines (via DraftKings Sportsbook)
Spread: Nets -13 (-108), Celtics +13 (-113)
Total: Over 232 (-109), Under 232 (-112)
Money Line: Nets (-835), Celtics (+550)
Game 5 Player Scoring Props (via DraftKings Sportsbook)
Joe Harris O/U 12.5 Points (Over -107/Under -120)
Jayson Tatum O/U 33.5 (-107/-120)
Kevin Durant O/U 30.5 (-107/-120)
Evan Fournier O/U 16.5 (-113/-113)
Blake Griffin O/U 6.5 (-105/-122)
Marcus Smart O/U 15.5 (-120/-107)
Tristan Thompson O/U 9.5 (-107/-120)
Kyrie Irving O/U 25.5 (-105/-122)
James Harden O/U 25.5 (-105/-122)