Low-Scoring Battle Projected as Celtics Visit Nuggets

Two of the NBA’s top defensive teams collide Friday in Denver as the Nuggets host the road-weary Boston Celtics. Denver has held six of its last eight opponents under the century mark in scoring, including Wednesday’s 105-95 win over Houston, while the 11-3 Celtics rank seventh in the NBA in points allowed.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

After being favored in all but three of their first 12 games, the Celtics are now catching points for the third straight outing. Boston opened as a 4.5-point underdog in its final game of a five-game road trip. There wasn’t much early action on either side, but the total has seen strong support for the UNDER — moving it down 4 points to 206 as of Thursday night.

Boston News & Notes

The Celtics have lost two of their last three following a 10-1 start, but there’s no sense of panic in Beantown. Boston bounced back nicely after its 10-game winning streak was snapped Sunday at Sacramento, posting a 99-85 victory the following night in Phoenix. And Wednesday, the Celtics went toe to toe with the consensus NBA title favorite LA Clippers, extending LA into overtime before dropping a 107-104 decision.

Having already defeated the Raptors and Bucks, two of the top teams in the East, the Celtics probably didn’t need any validation as a championship contender. But they got it anyway with the near upset of the Clippers, considering that LA started both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George while Boston remains without Gordon Hayward. The Celts overcame an awful start from behind the three-point line (missing their first 16 attempts) to lead by double digits in the fourth quarter before LA rallied.

“We believe, truly, we can compete with anybody in this league,” said Marcus Smart, who was one of eight Celtics who contributed at least eight points in the loss. Boston seems to like a challenge, too. The C’s have covered six in a row when facing opponents that have a winning record.

Denver News & Notes

Known for high-scoring, free-wheeling basketball in the past, these Nuggets now hang their hat on defense. That was emphasized Wednesday as Denver became the first team this season to hold Houston under 100 points, snapping the Rockets’ eight-game winning streak with a decisive 105-95 victory over James Harden and company. Speaking of Harden, Denver “limited” The Beard to 27 points — his lowest output since the Sportsbook night of the season.

Holding opponents under the century mark has been key for the Nuggets, who are a perfect 7-0 when allowing 99 points or less. Wednesday’s victory went UNDER the total by 21.5 points, and the UNDER is now 5-2 in Denver’s home games this season.

That continues a trend that dates back to last season, with 20 of the Nuggets’ last 27 games staying UNDER the total. A big key to Denver’s defensive success has been defending the three, with the Nuggets ranking fifth in the Association at 32 percent allowed.

Betting Pick: Nuggets -4.5