Nets with their backs to the wall!
The third matchup between the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics is set for Saturday night!
The basketballers from Long Island are playing in front of their own crowd for the first time in the series. After two defeats, they must of course win at all costs, otherwise the series would probably come to an end quickly.
Brooklyn Nets – Statistics & current form
Head coach Steve Nash currently has an unusual problem: The normally overly reliable Kevin Durant can’t get going against Boston in the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
Only 23.5 percent of his attempts from the field found their target in the last game. Even the first game was not satisfactory from KD’s point of view. His many turnovers are particularly astonishing at the moment.
In both games, the “Slim Reaper” produced half a dozen ball losses! For comparison: His average value in the regular season was 3.5 per game.
His rebound and assist totals in the postseason were also below average compared to his performance in the regular season.
His average of four fouls per game against Boston shows that these meagre yields have been gnawing at his nerves for a long time. A number that is almost twice as high as before the start of the playoffs.
Boston Celtics – Statistics & current form
The Massachusetts franchise showed great morale in their last meeting. The Celtics were down by 17 points at one point, but in the end they were able to celebrate a 114-107 victory in front of their own euphoric fans at TD Garden.
The best defence during the regular season has also been convincing against the Nets so far. Furthermore, they have had the new “best defensive player in the NBA” in the person of Marcus Smart for a few days now.
The guard succeeds Rudy Gobert from Utah and the last time Boston had the “DPOY” of a season in their own ranks was in 2007 with Kevin Garnett.
Brooklyn Nets – Boston Celtics Pick
For the clash in New York between the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the NBA postseason, the tip aims for more than 5.5 assists by Jayson Tatum on the side of the team from the “City on a Hill”.
Boston coach Ime Udoka has apparently given the small forward a slightly different role on the court for the series. The seventh-leading scorer at the end of the regular season is now also acting more as a playmaker.
The 24-year-old delivered eight assists in the first game against the Nets and ten in the most recent match-up for the New England franchise. Both of these totals are clearly above his seasonal average of 4.4 assists.
