The Boston Celtics (8-3, 4-1 Home) play host to the Denver Nuggets (8-3, 4-3 Away) Friday in what is likely to be a high-scoring game. Denver narrowly defeated the Indiana Pacers 122-119 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday, their fourth straight win. Nikola Jokic was the scoring leader with 24 points.
Aaron Gordon added 18 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists. The Nuggets are fourth in the Western Conference, one game behind the Utah Jazz. Boston won their fourth in a row on Wednesday at TD Garden, beating the Detroit Pistons 128-112. Jayson Tatum tallied 31 points to lead the team in scoring.
With 30 points and seven rebounds, Jaylen Brown also had a strong game. The Celtics are third in the Eastern Conference, two games behind the Milwaukee Bucks. It’s the first meeting of the season between the teams. Boston won both games between the teams last season, the last of which was a 124-104 triumph at Ball Arena on March 20, their fifth straight head-to-head victory.
Tatum led the Celtics with 30 points and seven assists. Jokic had 23 points and four assists in the loss. The Nuggets have been led this season by Jokic, who is averaging 21.2 points per game, best in the NBA. Jokic also is contributing 9.9 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game, placing him first and first in the league, respectively.
Tatum has been the primary provider of the Celts’ offense, averaging 31.2 points per game. He is the No. 1 scorer in the league. Tatum also has posted 6.9 rebounds per game, most in the league. Marcus Smart has distributed 7.0 assists per game. The Celtics and the Nuggets rank as the top two offenses in the NBA, first and second in offensive efficiency, respectively.
The Nuggets are only 2-8 in their last 10 trips to TD Garden. Denver is pursuing a fourth consecutive road win this season. Boston is pursuing a fourth consecutive win at home this season.
In the last 10 games, Denver is 8-2 with an average margin of +4.7 (118.2-113.5). Boston has gone 7-3 over the last 10, scoring 118.0 points per game on average while holding opponents to 113.9 (+4.1 margin).
NUGGETS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points per game:
Bones Hyland: 18.0 | 14.0 | +4.0
Assists per game:
Jamal Murray: 5.2 | 4.0 | +1.2
CELTICS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Sam Hauser: 13.4 | 10.3 | +3.1
Points per game:
Al Horford: 12.8 | 10.1 | +2.6
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Over 231.5 (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
