The Boston Celtics will be looking for their seventh win in a row when they host the Denver Nuggets on Friday. The Celtics brought in some big-time reinforcements at the trade deadline, making moves for Derrick White and Daniel Theis. Both players should help Ime Udoka’s team, which has been playing as well as anyone in the Eastern Conference recently.
Will Boston earn a straightforward win over Denver tonight? Keep reading our Nuggets vs. Celtics NBA picks and predictions for Friday, February 11 to find out.
Nuggets vs Celtics odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Nuggets were laying 6 points when this line opened, and they’re now favored by 6 at nearly every sportsbook. Meanwhile, the total opened at 217 and is now up to as high as 219.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Nuggets vs Celtics predictions
Predictions made on 2/11/2022 at 11:25 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Nuggets vs Celtics game info
• Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Date: Friday, February 11, 2022
• Tip-off: 8:30 p.m. ET
• TV: NBCS-BOS, ALT
Nuggets vs Celtics betting preview
Key injuries
Nuggets: Monte Morris G (Out), Michael Porter Jr. F (Out), Jamal Murray G (Out).
Celtics: Derrick White G (Questionable), Daniel Theis C (Questionable).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Celtics are 6-2 against the spread in their last eight games as favorites. Find more NBA betting trends for Nuggets vs. Celtics.
Nuggets vs Celtics picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
The Celtics are really playing well right now and they just got Derrick White from the San Antonio Spurs at the trade deadline. White is yet another strong perimeter defender for Boston to throw into its starting lineup, giving the Celtics a five-man group without a single weakness on the defensive end. And while White’s playing status is in question tonight — it’s not easy to get guys cleared to play so quickly after a trade — Boston should be ready to go against Denver in this one.
Nikola Jokic is undoubtedly going to put up some big numbers in this game, even with both Robert Williams III and Al Horford being good defenders at the center position. However, Jokic will have even less help than usual in tonight’s game, as Monte Morris is out with a concussion. Morris is the most reliable point guard that Denver has right now, and his absence is going to be felt with Murray and Porter out for the season.
Aaron Gordon and Will Barton will do what they can to pitch in and help Jokic, but the Celtics can counter that by throwing Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on them. Smart will handle the Barton assignment, while Tatum and Brown can take turns on Gordon. That will make it really rough on Denver on the offensive end.
On the other end, it could take Boston a little bit of time to adjust to not having Dennis Schroder or Josh Richardson anymore — both were dealt yesterday — but the Celtics should be able to score enough to comfortably win this game.
Prediction: Celtics -6 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
The Under is 9-3 in the last 12 games that Boston has played, and that’s no surprise with the way this team is playing on the defensive end. Boston is up to third in the league in defensive rating this year, and that’s a ranking that could actually end up getting better with White on the way in. The Celtics rotation is full of excellent defenders and Udoka has been getting the best out of the group.
The Under has also hit in each of the last five games that these two teams have played against one another, and the two combined to score just 192 points when they met last April. Neither one of these teams cracks the league’s Top 20 in pace of play, which is also aids Under bettors. And on top of that, the Under is 26-11 when Boston is favored this season.
Prediction: Under 219 (-110)
Best bet
The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, and the Celtics are still going to be giving Smart a lot of ball-handling duties moving forward. Boston got rid of Schroder in the deal that brought back Theis, and the German was the only true point guard in the Celtics rotation. White should ultimately handle a lot of on-ball reps for Boston, but his status tonight is unclear. And it could take some time for him to learn this offense.
Smart has had 25 games this season in which he’s had at least six assists and it’d pay out at plus money if he does it again here. Given the circumstances, the usage rate will be there for Smart. He’s also facing a Nuggets team that is just 15th in the league in defensive rating, so it’s not like this is an elite resistance.
Pick: Marcus Smart Over 5.5 Assists (+106)
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