Enjoy your Tuesday night with a West versus East showdown as the Denver Nuggets (15-11) take on the Boston Celtics (13-13). The Celtics will host this one from the TD Garden with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.
Denver has been rolling as of late, winning three in a row. In their latest win, they took down the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers 122-105. In the victory, Nikola Jokic had a triple-double with 23 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists, while Jamal Murray led the scoring with 25 points. They will look to stay hot as they travel to take on the Celtics.
Speaking of Boston, they are coming off of back-to-back losses against the Detroit Pistons (108-102) and the Washington Wizards (104-91). Those losses have dropped them to fifth in the Eastern Conference, but they are still within just 4.5 games of the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers.
Denver is the slight favorite despite playing on the road. The spread features Boston +1.5 while the over/under for total points is 221.5.
By The Numbers
Offensively, Denver has been the superior team. They currently rank 4th in the NBA in scoring, averaging 115.5 points per game. The Celtics fall to 22nd averaging 110.1 points per game (104.3 over their last three games).
Defensively, Boston holds the edge. They rank 6th in scoring defense, allowing 109.3 points per game to opponents. The Nuggets rank 10th allowing 111 per game, although they have allowed just 98.3 points per game over their last three games.
Denver Looks To Stay Hot Behind Jokic
Highlighting just how tough the Western Conference is, the 15-11 Nuggets would just sneak in with the 7th seed if the playoffs started today. Still, Denver has been playing great as of late, thanks to the MVP-type play of center Nikola Jokic.
On the season, Jokic is averaging 26.5 points on 56.4% shooting. He is averaging a double-double pulling down 11.5 rebounds per game, and is almost averaging a triple-double as he is also averaging 8.7 assists per game.
Jokic’s righthand man has been guard Jamal Murray. This season, Murray is averaging 18.5 points, 4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists.
The Nuggets depth might take a hit in this one. Currently listed as questionable are Paul Millsap, Will Barton, Gary Harris, and P.J. Dozier.
One person to keep an eye on is rookie Zeke Nnaji. The big man put up 16 points and 3 rebounds in their win over the Lakers in 24 minutes. If Paul Millsap is forced to miss this one, it could open the door for even a bigger role.
Boston Trying To Find Consistency
On paper, Boston has one of the more talented rosters in the Eastern Conference, but their .500 record has shown that they have struggled to find consistency in their play. Part of the issue has been injuries as Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, and Kemba Walker have all missed parts of the season.
In fact, Smart will be out for this game as he is still dealing with a calf tear, and Walker always seems like a game-time decision given he has been held out of several games and has only played in 12 thus far.
Still, the Celtics have two elite players in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. In 24 games, Brown has averaged 26 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.3 steals. Not to be outdone, Tatum has averaged 25.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 steals.
Taking Nuggets To Win And Cover
While Boston is no pushover, I just have a hard time betting against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets with how hot they have been playing. I wouldn’t blame you if you rolled the dice on Boston at home, but for my money, I am taking Denver to win and cover the modest 1.5-point spread.
