Celtics vs Nuggets Odds and Picks
- The Boston Celtics are 6-point underdogs Sunday afternoon at Denver against the red-hot Nuggets
- Boston may be without forward Jayson Tatum (illness) who scored 53 points Friday against Minnesota
- Completing a four-game homestand, Denver has won eight games in a row – read below for our pick
The Denver Nuggets are hot. The Boston Celtics are hobbling.
As Boston arrives in the Mile High City to get a three-game road trip underway, the combination of those circumstances has the online sportsbooks siding with the Nuggets in this Sunday afternoon NBA tilt.
Winners of eight in a row and 6-2 against the spread over that span, Denver is listed as the 6-point favorite to keep on rolling against a Celtics team that may line up minus three key pieces of their puzzle.
Tipoff for Sunday’s game is set for 3pm ET at Ball Arena. The game is being broadcast by Altitude and NBA TV.
Celtics vs Nuggets NBA Odds
Team | Moneyline | Spread at FanDuel | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Boston Celtics | +210 | +6 (-110) | OFF |
Denver Nuggets | -255 | -6 (-110) | OFF |
Odds as of April 10th
Key Injuries On Both Sides
Potentially, both teams will take the court Suday afternoon missing key personnel. Denver has played the last three games minus guard Jamal Murray, slowed by right-knee soreness.
Despite the absence of an all-star player who is the club’s second-leading scorer (21.3 points per game), the Nuggets haven’t missed a beat. They’ve won all three games without Murray, extending their overall winning streak to eight.
Pretty cool moment here at Ball Arena. Jamal Murray addressed the crowd and finished by saying “championship on 3… 1,2,3 championship!”
Nikola Jokic then had no idea what to say after that so the crowd just started chanting “MVP, MVP, MVP!” pic.twitter.com/4Yqla6pD2l
— Brandon Ewing (@B_Skip1717) April 5, 2021
Winners of four of the past five games, Boston also faces some issues due to injury and illness. Small forward Jayson Tatum (non-COVID 19 illness) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (left knee soreness) are listed as questionable for Sunday.
Boston backup shooting guard Evan Fournier is out. He’s listed as day-to-day due to health and safety protocols.
Tatum Makes Celtics History
The ailments to Tatum and Brown arrive just as the Celtics looked like they were finally arriving back to some reasonable level of facsimile to the team that played in last season’s Eastern Conference final.
They’d won four of their last five games to move above .500 at 27-26. In Friday’s 145-136 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Tatum scored a career-high 53 points. At 23, he became the youngest 50-point scorer in Celtics franchise history.
The youngest player in franchise history to score 50+ points 😤☘️@TDBank_US | #HumanBehindTheNumber pic.twitter.com/H1wBjoOZoJ
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 10, 2021
Brown is enjoying a career year. Selected to his first NBA All-Star team, he’s averaging 24.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game this season.
However, his left knee has been a chronic issue all season long. It’s sent Brown to the shelf previously during this campaign.
Golden Nuggets
Overall, Denver has won 17 of the past 20 games. The Nuggets are 7-0 since picking up Aaron Gordon and JaVale McGee in a pair of NBA trade deadline moves.
In Murray’s absence, Denver center Nikola Jokic is only strengthening his case for NBA MVP. Jokic posted his 13th triple-double of the season during Friday’s 121-119 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
Nikola Jokic this season:
26.3 PPG
10.9 RPG
8.8 APG
57.0 FG%Only Russ and Oscar have averaged 25/10/8 in a season. Jokic will be the first one to do it on 55% shooting. pic.twitter.com/vzQ8OABNGU
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 10, 2021
Michael Porter Jr has also picked up his game with Murray sidelined. He scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against San Antonio, That marked the fifth time over the past seven games that Porter has collected a double-double.
Trendspotting
Boston has won its last two games against Denver. However, both were played at TD Garden. In Denver, the Nuggets have been winners of two straight and three of the last four meetings.
Overall, the Nuggets are 7-3 in the last 10 games against Boston played at Ball Arena. Two of those three Celtics victories were earned by one-point margins.
It’s safe to say that Jokic is now the new front runner for MVP and that the Nuggets are a SERIOUS threat to come out of the Western Conference!!! The mile high is seeming like a DANGEROUS place to be in the playoffs. Real Talk!!
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) April 10, 2021
The Nuggets are 18-9 at home this season and 16-9 against Eastern Conference clubs. Boston is a disappointing 10-16 on the road and 9-12 against the teams of the Western Confernce.
Even with their recent run of success, the Celtics are still just 6-4 through the past 10 games. Boston is 2-2 this season when Brown doesn’t play.
- Pick: Denver Nuggets -6 (-110)
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