Boston Celtics (30-12, first in the Eastern Conference) vs. Brooklyn Nets (27-13, second in the Eastern Conference)
New York; Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EST
: Nets -3; over/under is 227.5
BOTTOM LINE: Boston visits the Brooklyn Nets after Jaylen Brown scored 41 points in the Celtics' 125-114 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Nets are 20-7 in Eastern Conference games. Brooklyn is second in the league shooting 39.2% from deep, led by Day'Ron Sharpe shooting 80.0% from 3-point range.
The Celtics are 16-8 against Eastern Conference opponents. Boston is fourth in the Eastern Conference with 44.1 rebounds per game led by Jayson Tatum averaging 8.2.
The teams meet for the second time this season. In the last meeting on Dec. 4 the Celtics won 103-92 led by 34 points from Brown, while Kevin Durant scored 31 points for the Nets.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nicolas Claxton is averaging 11.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks for the Nets. Durant is averaging 28.7 points over the last 10 games for Brooklyn.
Marcus Smart is averaging 11.1 points and 7.2 assists for the Celtics. Tatum is averaging 28.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists over the past 10 games for Boston.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nets: 9-1, averaging 120.2 points, 40.0 rebounds, 27.6 assists, 7.8 steals and 7.1 blocks per game while shooting 54.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.1 points per game.
Celtics: 8-2, averaging 120.7 points, 46.0 rebounds, 27.8 assists, 6.2 steals and 5.9 blocks per game while shooting 47.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.6 points.
INJURIES: Nets: Kevin Durant: out (knee), Nic Claxton: day to day (shoulder).
Celtics: Danilo Gallinari: out for season (knee), Marcus Smart: out (knee), Robert Williams III: out (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by and data from .
The Associated Press
