The Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics are going to see each other a lot in the upcoming regular season, so their preseason match this Saturday could serve as a preview of these two Atlantic division teams’ future battles.

Catch this game live on Saturday December 19 at 9 AM, Manila time.

HOME TEAM: Boston Celtics

Boston suffered a 108-99 road loss at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers last Wednesday, but there’s no need for any panic for Celtics nation. Even though Jaylen Brown shot just 1 of 11 from the field for five points and Jayson Tatum went 4 of 13 for 10 points, the Celtics’ future is bright. The two will look to shake off the rust this Saturday in an interesting preseason intra-division game against Brooklyn.

In three appearances against the Nets last season, Tatum averaged 20.3 points, while Brown played against Brooklyn four times and put 18.3 points. The leading scorer in that series for the Celtics? That would be Kemba Walker, who’s still on the shelf because of a left knee injury.

In lieu of Walker, the Celtics will distribute the guard minutes to the likes of Javonte Green, Jeff Teague, and Payton Pritchard. Teague came off the bench in the Sixers game and scored 18 points, while Pritchard had 16 points.

ROAD TEAM: Brooklyn Nets

Hopes are high on the Nets this coming season, thanks to the healthy pair of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Irving barely played last season, while Durant sat through the entirety of it, yet the Nets made the playoffs.

Irving and Durant gave a preview of the great things to come for the Nets in the upcoming season during their 119-114 home win over the Washington Wizards last Monday. Durant finished with 15 points (5-12 FG), while Irving had 18 points (7-9 FG). Durant may not have shot efficiently in the Wizards game, but having gotten the feel of a competitive NBA game again, who’s to say he can’t put up a much better performance this Saturday? 

Durant aside, the Nets’ bench will play a pivotal role against the Celtics after an impressive showing on Monday. The Nets’ second unit hit 10 of the Nets’ 12 3-pointers in that game, with newcomer Landry Shamet going 3 of 5 forms deep.

PREDICTIONS:

The Celtics will be playing at home in this game, and the familiar atmosphere of TD Garden will be a boost for Tatum and company. The Celtics will win this game, 107-103.