Kevin Durant in Boston
Getty Images

The Brooklyn Nets will take on the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals on Saturday. The Celtics already got their postseason started with a win in the play-in tournament over the Wizards to secure the No. 7 seed. But they'll draw a difficult matchup against a Brooklyn squad that won all three of this season's head-to-head matchups.

Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Nets will have James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving all in the lineup after the trio played just eight games together during the regular season. Brooklyn is the eight-point favorite, with the over-under for total points scored set at 232.5 in the latest Nets vs. Celtics odds from William Hill Sportsbook. Before you make any Celtics vs. Nets picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned over $9,100 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks over the past two-plus seasons. The model is up almost $900 on its top-rated picks this season and entered the 2020-21 NBA Playoffs on a stunning 99-66 roll on top-rated NBA picks against the spread dating back to last season. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Nets vs. Celtics. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting trends for Nets vs. Celtics:

  • Nets vs. Celtics spread: Nets -8
  • Nets vs. Celtics over-under: 232.5 points
  • Nets vs. Celtics money line: Nets -350, Celtics +290
  • BKN: The Nets have covered in each of their last six home games against the Celtics
  • BOS: The Celtics have covered the spread by an average of 15 points in their last three games

Why the Nets can cover

Brooklyn enters the 2021 NBA Playoffs in good health with Harden returning to action to play limited minutes on May 12 against the Spurs and then May 15th against the Bulls before resting in the final game of the regular season against the Cavaliers. He'll now join Irving and Durant, who combined to average 51.2 points per game during the month of May.

The Nets won and covered in all three of their games against the Celtics this season, with Irving leading the way against his former team by averaging 30.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per contest. And while Irving, Durant and Harden have only compiled 202 minutes on the floor together over eight games, they have an offensive rating of 119.6 and a defensive rating of 112.4 for a net rating of 7.2.

Why the Celtics can cover

Boston has made three of the last four Eastern Conference Finals, but they lost Jaylen Brown to a season-ending wrist injury earlier in the year. Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker have had to pick up the slack in his absence and both are playing some of their best basketball of the year entering the series.

Tatum had his third 50-point game of the season on Tuesday in the win over the Wizards, while Walker poured in 29 points of his own in a 118-100 victory. Tatum has averaged 27.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game since the NBA All-Star break, while Walker has scored 29.8 points per game in the month of May. Meanwhile, Evan Fournier has provided ancillary scoring by averaging 19.9 points per game since Brown's injury and he'll be integral if the Celtics are going to challenge the Nets.

How to make Nets vs. Celtics picks

SportsLine's model is leaning under on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 222 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in over 50 percent of simulations. You can get that pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Celtics vs. Nets? And which side of the spread hits in over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 99-66 roll on NBA picks.