The Brooklyn Nets (12-30) are having a rough January as their performance on both ends of the floor has taken a significant dip since the calendar turned to 2026. Brooklyn is working hard to turn their season around before it’s too late and that could begin with a matchup on Friday against the Boston Celtics (27-16). If you’re wondering how you can watch all the action live, you’ve come to the right place!

The Nets come into this game following a 120-66 loss at the New York Knicks on Wednesday in which Brooklyn fell behind 38-20 at the end of the first quarter and weren’t able to recover from the first punch. Forward Michael Porter Jr. led the way for the Nets with 12 points, but he struggled to a 4-of-14 shooting performance from the field while forward Ziaire Williams had 11 points and two steals off the bench.

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The Celtics enter this matchup after a 119-104 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday in which Boston used a dominant first half to put the Pacers far away enough to win the game by double-digits. Forward Jaylen Brown continued his potential MVP campaign by adding another 30 points and 10 rebounds while forward Sam Hauser and center Neemias Queta scored 17 points each.

The Lines, Courtesy Of BetMGM

Point-spread: Nets (+8.5)

Money-line: Nets (+300)

Notable Injuries

Nets: OUT: Haywood Highsmith (knee), Tyson Etienne (G League), Chaney Johnson (G League), EJ Liddell (G League), and Ben Saraf (G League).

Celtics: OUT: Josh Minott (ankle), Jayson Tatum (achilles), Max Shulga (G League), and Amari Williams (G League).

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Advice and Prediction

The Nets have not been playing their best basketball in January as their defense and rebounding has not meet their established standard from December in which they were dominant in those areas. While Brooklyn is coming off one of the worst losses in franchise history at the hands of their cross-rival Knicks, the Nets and head coach Jordi Fernandez agreed after the loss that they have to be better, one way or another.

The Celtics have been one of the more surprising teams this season as they were expected to be playing in a “gap year” while superstar Jayson Tatum is rehabbing from his achilles injury. However, wing Jaylen Brown has improved his game to such a level that Boston has one of the best records in the league as of this writing and could be in the Eastern Conference Finals if they play their cards right.

The Nets and Celtics play at two of the slowest paces in the league, but it’s the offensive and defensive sides of the floor where these two teams differ. Brooklyn ranks towards the bottom of the NBA in offensive rating and defensive rating while Boston is one of the best offensive teams in the Association and is in the middle of the pack when it comes to their defensive prowess.

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Prediction: Celtics 110, Nets 100

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets vs. Celtics betting preview: Prediction, point spread, odds