The best team in the league lost to the worst team in the league. That was the headline in the Boston media after the Celtics fell to the Chicago Bulls on Monday. The Celtics may own the best record in the NBA at 23-6 SU but they have dropped two of their last three games and are starting to deal with injury problems. They opened as 6.5-point favorites vs the visiting Denver Nuggets, who are dealing with their own injury issues.
- The Celtics are 4-0 SU and ATS in their last four games after a loss.
- The Celtics are 10-2 SU and ATS in their last 12 games against teams with winning records.
- Kyrie Irving ranks 13th in the NBA in points per game at 23.9.
The good news for Celtics backers is Kyrie Irving is expected back in the lineup tonight. The bad news is both Al Horford and Marcus Morris are not expected to suit up, which could cause problems for a Boston team that was already thin in the frontcourt. Players being held out or missing a game here or there is very common strategy for teams to employ during the regular season but it’s a concerning trend for bettors banking on Boston’s best effort. At least it’s at the TD Garden where Boston is 12-2 SU and has won four straight.
The Nuggets have had mixed results since star center Nikola Jokic went down with an ankle injury, going 3-3 SU and ATS. He is questionable for tonight and even if he came back, he may be limited and hard to count on to make an impact. The silver lining for the Nuggets is they’re 3-1 ATS in their last four games vs the Celtics and have done well on back-to-backs this season at 5-2 ATS in seven games.
The total opened at 204.5 and bettors may want to consider the UNDER. Boston is the second-best defensive team in the league, holding teams to 97.3 points per game, and the UNDER has hit in three of the Celtics’ last four games. With Denver’s depleted lineup and the team playing its second game of a back-to-back, bettors shouldn’t expect an offensive explosion from these two squads.
Denver Nuggets vs Boston Celtics Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Boston Celtics bring a 23-6 record (20-8-1 ATS) to the battle against the 15-12 Denver Nuggets, who are 11-16 ATS. Fans OVER/UNDER betting have seen Boston Celtics go 14-15 so far and the Denver Nuggets go 12-15. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Boston vs Denver injuries news.
This game matches up the No. 7 (Boston Celtics) and the No. 8 (Nuggets) teams in the league, according to our current NBA betting Power Rankings at OddsShark.
Statistical Matchup
When it comes to rebounds, the visiting Denver Nuggets rank No. 8 in the league with 44.85 per game. That compares with Boston's No. 7 ranking in that category. The story is different when it comes to three-point shooting where Boston is the NBA's No. 8-ranked team at 11.34 treys per game, while the Nuggets rate No. 11 with 11.15 per contest.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
The Nuggets got 28 points from Jamal Murray as Denver ran past Detroit 103-84 on Tuesday at Little Sportsbook Arena.
Boston was crushed on Monday, getting run out of the gym by Chicago and falling 108-85 at United Center.
Next Betting Matchups
Denver home to New Orleans, Friday, December 15
Boston home to Utah, Friday, December 15
