The Denver Nuggets travel to Beantown for a Tuesday night matchup with the Boston Celtics. Both teams were conference finalists just last season, but have struggled out of the gate.
The Celtics (13-13) fell back to the .500 mark after losing to the Washington Wizards on Sunday, and have now lost four of their last five. Denver (15-11) followed a three-game losing straight with three straight wins, capped off by Sunday night's win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Still, the Nuggets are at the back end of the Western Conference playoff picture.
Both teams are desperate for a win. For the Celtics, it's a chance to stop the bleeding. The Nuggets, meanwhile, hope to sustain momentum with another marquee victory.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Nuggets-Celtics odds.
NBA Odds: Nuggets-Celtics odds
Denver Nuggets +2 (-114)
Boston Celtics -2 (+106)
Over 221.5 points (-110)
Under 221.5 points (-110)
Why the Nuggets could cover the spread
It has been a weird season for the Nuggets thus far. But Denver might be putting things together.
The Nuggets dominated the Lakers on Sunday, despite losing the turnover battle and barely controlling the boards. Why? Denver put on a display from beyond the arc and got to the free-throw line with ease.
The Nuggets went 19-for-47 deep and 25-for-34 from the charity stripe. Nikola Jokic had a triple-double, while Facundo Campazzo and Zeke Nnaji combined for 31 points off the bench.
Jokic has continued to assert himself as an MVP candidate, and he could be a nightmare for Boston's frontcourt, especially with Daniel Theis slated to miss the contest due to a sprained finger.
“The Joker” is a constant danger because of his ability to operate as a scorer or facilitator from anywhere on the floor. He does a ton of his work in the post, where he can either score by creating leverage inside or using his high-arcing jumper to shot fallaways over defenders. Jokic is also every bit as capable of finding open cutters for opportunities at the rim.
Jamal Murray was slightly more assertive in each of the past two games, especially from the perimeter (21 3-point attempts). He will have to stay in attack mode against Jaylen Brown and Co.
The Celtics also seem like a favorable matchup for Michael Porter Jr. Though MPJ had a horror show against the Lakers, he had strong previous showings against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers, and his ability to stretch the floor from the power forward position could be vital to the Nuggets.
Why the Celtics could over the spread
This feels like a game the Celtics absolutely have to win.
Things are starting to come a bit unglued. Perhaps that is not coincidental, considering “glue” guy Marcus Smart continues to sit with a calf injury.
Kemba Walker is struggling, and the Celtics lack creativity outside of Brown and Jayson Tatum consistently manifesting offensive opportunities. Payton Pritchard has been good in spurts, but he is just 3-for-12 combined in the last two games, including 0-for-6 from beyond the arc.
But both Brown and Tatum could eat in this one. The Nuggets rank eighth in defensive scoring, but just 16th in defensive rating. What's more, Denver will be without versatile on-ball defenders in Gary Harris and P.J. Dozier, and neither Tatum nor Brown will have to chase Will Barton around, as he is also inactive.
Brown has gone 11-for-21 from the field in each of the last two games. Even on off shooting nights, he has found ways to be productive, like when he had ten assists in a win over the Toronto Raptors last Thursday. Tatum has hit a bit of a wall in terms of efficiency, but he did have 33 points in a loss to the Detroit Pistons and should be hungry for a strong game.
Final Nuggets-Celtics prediction & pick
Two points is a razor-thin margin, but let's stick with the favored Celtics.
Yes, Jokic is going to be extremely difficult for the Celtics to contain inside. But the Nuggets are depleted, with Paul Millsap also ruled out and Monte Morris ailing.
The Celtics should have ample opportunity to go at a depleted Nuggets backcourt, and the absence of bona fide shooters should also allow them to swarm Jokic in the post.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: BOS 115, DEN 111 (BOS -2)
Follow Us
Subscribe