The Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets meet in the Mile High City on Thursday night! It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Celtics-Nuggets prediction and pick.
The Celtics (48-13) are coming off a disappointing loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night. Boston led by 21 points with less than 10 minutes in the game and allowed the Cavs to come back and win without their star player Donovan Mitchell. The C's scored just 17 points in the fourth quarter one game after beating the Golden State Warriors by 52. Basketball can be a strange and confusing sport sometimes. The Celtics will now try and bounce back in one of the tougher games you can play in, against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets in Denver.
The Nuggets (42-20) are in a similar situation. The Nuggets needed to come back from nine points in the 4th and were able to tie it up and force OT against the Phoenix Suns. However, Phoenix won OT 15-5 and proceeded to win by 10. Kevin Durant scored 35 points for the Suns while Jamal Murray led Denver with 28. Denver will now take on the top team in the NBA in what could be a preview of the NBA Finals later this June.
Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Celtics-Nuggets Odds
Boston Celtics: -1 (-112)
Moneyline: -118
Denver Nuggets: +1 (-108)
Moneyline: +100
Over: 221 (-110)
Under: 221 (-110)
How to Watch Celtics vs. Nuggets
Time: 10:00 ET/7:00 PT
TV: TNT
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread/Win
As the Celtics are dominant on their home court, the Nuggets are just as good. They are 24-6 while Boston is 19-10 on the road. Interestingly enough, the Nuggets handed the Celtics their first loss at home this season 102-100 back on Jan. 20 Now, the C's aim to do the same and win on the road.
In that first meeting, The Jays struggled. Jayson Tatum ended with 22 points on 9-24 shooting and 1-8 from deep. Jaylen Brown had just 13 points on 6-19 shooting. Derek White led the team with 24 points on 5-12 shooting from beyond the arc. Even with all that, Boston lost by just two points and had a shot to win it in the end.
Coming off a horrible fourth quarter against the Cavs, it's expected that the Celtics storm out the gates with something to prove. In fact, they only scored 18 in the 4th against the Nuggets earlier in the year. They should be at full strength as they were in the first meeting. The matchup of Jokic and Kristaps Porzingis will be fun to watch. They combined for 55 points in the first meeting.
A solid fourth quarter from the Celtics should see them have a chance to win once again.
Why The Nuggets Could Cover The Spread/Win
Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 35 points in the win over Boston earlier in the year. Jokic added 34 as they combined for 69 points on the C's home court. As good as the Nuggets are, it will take another performance just like that from the duo if they want to beat Boston again. The Celtics have been dominant the whole season, but they are coming off an 11-game win streak and quite frankly, should have extended it to 12. The C's are firing on all cylinders right now outside of that 4th quarter against Cleveland. The Nuggets must defend at a high level for all four quarters.
Then Nuggets are 6-4 in their last 10 games allowing 109 points per game. Despite not winning at the level we are accustomed to, Denver is still defending very well. The Celtics are third in the NBA in scoring averaging north of 121 points per game. Over their last 10 games, the C's are 9-1 averaging 124.1 points per game. It is going to take many different strategies to contain this high-powering offense.
Final Celtics-Nuggets Prediction & Pick
This potential NBA Finals preview is a must-watch for NBA fans. Both teams have been winning more often than not but will enter this matchup each with something to prove. The first meeting ended in what is now considered a low-scoring affair at 202 combined points. It seems that this will be a little bit more of a high-scoring game this time around with how well each offense is playing at this point in the season. I like the Over at 221 here. As for a winner, it's really a toss-up. These squads are evenly matched and because of that, I like the home team to get it done. The Nuggets cover.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Celtics-Nuggets Prediction & Pick: Denver Nuggets: +1 (-108), Over 221 (-110)
Follow Us
Subscribe