2022 NBA Playoff Picks: Boston Celtics Poised to Sweep Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets

Eric Uribe
By , Updated on: Apr 25, 2022 12:00 AM
2022 NBA Playoff Picks: Boston Celtics Poised to Sweep Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets

Put your game faces on, folks because online NBA betting is starting to get intense. Entering play on Monday, April 25, we've officially reached the point where every first-round 2022 NBA playoff series features a team facing elimination or on the brink of it. This is all to say: The stakes are high.

Two squads, in particular, have the chance to advance as we dig into our newest 2022 NBA playoff picks. The Boston Celtics are trying to sweep Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets, while the Philadelphia 76ers will attempt to do what they couldn't on Saturday and put away the scrappy Toronto Raptors.

Before we get to our NBA playoff predictions, here are the latest basketball betting odds heading into games on April 25:

FavoriteBetOnlineBetOnlineUnderdog
Brooklyn Nets-118+100Boston Celtics
Philadelphia 76ers-310+250Toronto Raptors
Dallas Mavericks-154+130Utah Jazz

Though these odds on the NBA shouldn't move much between now and opening tipoff, they are subject to minor (and frequent) changes throughout the day. Make sure you're double-checking all NBA betting lines prior to settling on a decision.

It also makes a ton of sense at the moment to sift through our reviews of the top online sportsbooks. We've got the lowdown on all the major players in the industry, so you should have no trouble spotting the best 2022 NBA playoff betting sites once you're done.

Will Boston Bid Farewell to Brooklyn in Game 4?

This is the second straight game in which the Celtics are underdogs against the Nets. We didn't buy it the first time around, and we're not going to buy it now.

Sure, a team with Durant and Kyrie Irving should, in theory, be able to take at least one game from Boston. But as this series has shown time and again, Brooklyn doesn't have the depth necessary to combat their defense.

Durant should have a better night. He's been relegated to less than superhuman for much of this series, which is an anomaly for him. At the same time, the Celtics have the length and athleticism to load up on him defensively while also recovering onto the rest of the team when they're put in rotation. This effectively means that Kyrie and the Nets supporting cast have to beat Boston if Brooklyn is going to win any games.

Believe it or not, that's a tall order. The Nets have some accessory shot-makers in Goran Dragic, Patty Mills and Seth Curry, but they all compromise the defense. Meanwhile, Brooklyn's best defensive lineups tend to sacrifice too much floor-spacing at the other end. 

All of which puts the Nets in an unsolvable conundrum. Their roster is neither deep nor talented enough to hang with the Celtics—especially now that we know Ben Simmons won't be suiting up for Game 4. This series is inevitably going to end with a Boston victory, and from where we're standing, it might as well happen on Monday.

OSB Prediction: Boston Celtics (+100)

Boston Celtics To beat the Brooklyn Nets
BetOnline
+100

How Much Fight Does Toronto Have Left vs. Philadelphia?

Injuries have shaped much of the Raptors-Sixers series to date. That's not going to change now.

Matisse Thybulle will be back in the Sixers' rotation since they're playing in Philly, which will be a boon for the defense. But superstar Joel Embiid is currently playing through a torn ligament in his right thumb, putting the entire offense into a tenuous position.

Granted, Philly can generate enough scoring between Tobias Harris, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey. But if the Raptors don't feel the need to send double-teams at Embiid, it could potentially gum up the entire operation.

Make no mistake, forecasting a Raptors victory is risky. Both Fred VanVleet and Scottie Barnes are playing at less than 100 percent right now, and it's allowed Philly's defense to key in on Pascal Siakam. Still, we just can't shake the ominous nature of Embiid's injury. And given that you're looking at a 2.5-to-1 payout for the underdog, now feels like an opportune time to roll the dice on Toronto.

OSB Prediction: Toronto Raptors (+250)

Toronto Raptors To beat the Philadelphia 76ers
BetOnline
+250

Who will Gain Control in the Jazz vs. Mavericks Series?

It initially looked like curtains for the Jazz in Game 4 against the Mavericks. They lost two of the first three games, none of which included Luka Doncic (calf strain) for Dallas. With Luka returning in Game 4, the general consensus was that Utah would be cooked.

Credit the Jazz for hanging tough and juuust barely escaping the fourth quarter to even the series. With that said, their defense in transition and when the Mavs put them in rotation following pick-and-rolls and drive-and-kicks has been terrible. Luka should only get better from here, too.

Bake in the fact Dallas gets to play at home, and we find ourselves tilting heavily towards the Mavs in this one.

OSB Prediction: Dallas Mavericks (-154)

Dallas Mavericks To beat the Utah Jazz
BetOnline
-154

Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can decide which one to use for all of your 2022 NBA playoff betting:

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Meet the author

Eric Uribe

Born and raised in Nevada, Eric was exposed to the world of sports betting at an early age. He yearned to be 21 just to hit the sportsbook, and when that day finally came, he became a regular at the smoke-filled room, sweating out bets with sketchy characters. Eric'...

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