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The Brooklyn Nets are the only team that has yet to win a game in the 2022 NBA playoffs and will be desperate to stave off elimination on Monday night in Game 4 of their first round series against the Boston Celtics. Kevin Durant has shot a disappointing 36.5 percent from the field in the series and his team needs a bounce-back performance from him after he came away with just 16 points on Saturday. Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum has led all players in the series with 89 total points through its first three games, 39 of which came in Boston's 109-103 Game 3 victory.

Tip-off from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn is set for 7 p.m. ET, where Boston is undefeated this season. Caesars Sportsbook lists Brooklyn as a 1.5-point favorite, and the over-under is set for 221.5 in the latest Celtics vs. Nets odds. Before you make any Celtics vs. Nets picks and predictions, you need to check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's advanced computer simulation model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three-plus seasons. The model enters the second full week of the 2022 NBA playoffs on a stunning 86-58 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning over $2,100. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Celtics vs. Nets, and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Now, here are several NBA odds and playoff betting lines for Nets vs. Celtics:

  • Nets vs. Celtics spread: Nets -1.5
  • Nets vs. Celtics over-under: 221.5 points
  • Nets vs. Celtics money line: Nets -120, Celtics +100
  • BOS: The Celtics are 6-1 against the spread in the last seven games
  • BKN: The Nets are 3-9 against the spread in the last 12 games

Why the Celtics can cover

Boston is led by dynamic wings in Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Tatum has been particularly outstanding in this series, averaging 29.7 points, 8.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game while limiting Durant on the other end. That two-way duo led the Celtics to a top-10 offense in the NBA during the regular season, and Boston has been even better in the NBA playoffs 2022 with an outstanding offensive rating of 118.6 points per 100 possessions. The Celtics are facing a Nets defense that is below-average on the whole, and Boston finished in the top six of the NBA in 2-point accuracy and free throw accuracy during the regular season. Against Brooklyn, the Celtics have a 60.7 percent true shooting mark through three games and, when they do miss a shot, Boston is securing more than 35 percent of available offensive rebounds. 

On the other end, the Celtics are creating havoc, not only in bothering Durant and Kyrie Irving, but also in forcing turnovers. Boston is forcing a giveaway on 18 percent of defensive possessions and holding the Nets to 1.2 assists per turnover. The Celtics also have 10.7 steals per game in the series, and Boston finished atop the NBA in field goal percentage allowed, 3-point percentage allowed, 2-point percentage allowed and assists allowed on the way to the league's best regular season defense.

Why the Nets can cover

Perhaps it's an oversimplification to say the Nets are too talented of a team to get swept, but that's where the case for Brooklyn begins. Since 2018, Durant has played in four elimination playoff games, and has shot a cumulative 46.8 percent in them. Outside of Game 5 in the 2019 NBA Finals when he ruptured his Achilles, he averaged 35 points in his other three elimination game starts. In Brooklyn's final regular season game against Boston on March 6, Durant scored 37 points, so he can't be counted out from doing it again on Monday.

Irving also had an underwhelming performance in Game 3, after he also put up just 16 points on 35.3 percent shooting. That appears to be the exception more than the rule, after he showed in his six regular season games at Barclays that he's comfortable at home, and averaged 26.7 points and 6.5 rebounds.

How to make Celtics vs. Nets picks

SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total, projecting 226 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the model's Nets vs. Celtics pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Celtics vs. Nets? And which side of the spread hits in 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Celtics vs. Nets spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.