To say the Boston Celtics' train got derailed Tuesday night might be an understatement.
Not only did the Celtics collapse in the fourth quarter of an embarrassing overtime loss to the Brooklyn Nets, they also withstood injuries to Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward, who join Kemba Walker among those not playing Wednesday night in Cleveland against the Cavaliers.
Leading scorer Jayson Tatum is expected to return, though. Can the 22-year-old All-Star carry Boston to victory on the second night of a back-to-back against a 17-44 Cavs team?
We'll discuss in our Celtics-Cavs betting predictions, followed by our two NBA locks against the spread.
(All odds provided by WestGate Superbook.)
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Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers, 7 p.m. ET
Moneyline: It's true that four of the Cavs' 17 wins have come in their last eight games. It's also true that Boston has won seven in a row vs. Cleveland and typically handles its business when Tatum is in the lineup. Count on the Celtics (-180) bouncing back after a talking-to from Brad Stevens.
Point Spread: Want more evidence of the Tatum effect? Boston jumped from a 2.5-point favorite to a 4.5-point favorite upon news of his return -- despite Walker, Brown and Hayward all being ruled out. Take the Celtics (-4.5) while you can against the worst team in the Eastern Conference.
Point Total: The Celtics are rolling out a G-League roster outside Tatum, but that second-rate unit still scored 34 points in the fourth quarter Tuesday night. Cleveland allows 115 points per game, and the point total is 217.5. I'll have the OVER, please.
Darren's record picking the Celtics' moneyline, point spread and point total: 81-47-1 (62.8% success rate)
NBA Lock of the Night
Indiana Pacers at Milwaukee Bucks (-11): No Victor Oladipo would be bad news for the Pacers, who face a Bucks team eager to remedy Monday's flop against the Miami Heat. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. roll to a double-digit victory at home.
Memphis Grizzlies (+1.5) at Brooklyn Nets: Caris LeVert and the Nets are feeling their oats after stunning the Celtics in overtime Tuesday night -- which is why they'll flop 24 hours later against a pesky Grizzlies club.
Darren's record picking NBA locks against the spread: 41-43-1 (48.2% success rate)
Don't miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Nets-Celtics, which begins Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live. You can also stream on the MyTeams App.