Nuggets vs Celtics Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: Tatum Helps Celtics Protect Perfect Home Record

According to the NBA odds, the matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics on Friday, January 17 is a potential Finals preview. The Nuggets are defending champs themselves, who have proven repeatedly this year that they can reach a higher gear than almost every team in the Association when they want to.

Still, they’re not going all out to win every regular season game, seemingly content to bide their time until the playoffs. The Celtics are the challengers with something to prove, both hoping to get a key win against Denver and to preserve their perfect 20-0 record at home this season.

My NBA picks and predictions for Nuggets vs. Celtics believe Jayson Tatum is in for a big offensive night.

Nuggets vs Celtics odds

Nuggets vs Celtics predictions

Is it possible to be underrated as an NBA superstar? Sometimes that feels like where we’re at with Jayson Tatum’s career. Perhaps because he is not in the truly top tier of NBA stars with Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo some feel that Tatum isn’t worthy of the title, but those people are dead wrong. 

Tatum has played high-level winning basketball for the Boston Celtics ever since he was drafted as a teenager, first as an elite role player, now as the NBA’s premier big wing. He guards, shoots, slashes, plays off and on the ball, and can turn any single game in his team’s favor with a scoring burst. 

He’s remained productive and efficient through every one of the Celtics’ many point guard iterations, from the Kyrie Irving era through Marcus Smart to Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. He makes integrating new talent like Kristaps Porzingis a breeze because his skillset is so diverse that he takes nothing off the table in any lineup.

Yes, he has scored 27 or fewer in four straight games, but these Jayson Tatum odds for Friday’s tilt against the Denver Nuggets are simply too low. Tatum has not had an overly productive January but that’s mostly been due to a series of blowouts both for and against the Celtics that has seen him average just 32 minutes per game in January. 

Tatum’s shooting splits this month tell the tale of his strong play: 48.3% from the field, 49.2% from three, and 82.3% from the line. He is straight-up dominating.

In premier matchups like this one and the ones earlier this month against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Joe Mazzulla has shown zero hesitation in pushing Tatum close to 40 minutes in regulation. 

Denver’s defense has been a mess for a few weeks now. While they’re still above average on the season overall, they’ve slipped into Bottom-10 in defensive efficiency over their last six games per Cleaning the Glass.

I think both teams are going to get up for this matchup with a potential Finals series in mind, and as such I expect Tatum to lead the way for Boston with his scoring.

My best bet: Jayson Tatum Over 27.5 points (-115 at bet365)

Nuggets vs Celtics same-game parlay

Jayson Tatum Over 27.5 points

Celtics moneyline

Over 233.5

50% boost available

+315 +473 at DraftKings

For my Friday same-game parlay, I’m taking the Celtics moneyline as well as the Over 233.5 in total points to go with my best bet on Tatum. 

The Celtics are quietly making a run at history, having started the season 20-0 at home. No team has ever gone undefeated at home in NBA history, with the 2015-16 San Antonio Spurs and the 1985-86 Celtics tied for the best record at 40-1 for a season. 

That bit of history means something in Boston, and I expect the Celtics to fight tooth-and-nail to keep that dream alive another week. The Nuggets have also not been a strong road team this season, going just 7-14 against the spread outside the Mile High City.

I also think this total is too low because of the potential for a Boston barrage from deep and Jokic’s utter dominance inside. With the departure of Grant Williams and Robert Williams III, the Celtics lost a lot of their defensive options when it comes to dealing with Jokic. Al Horford’s physical decline and Porzingis potentially being limited with his knee issues only serve to make them more vulnerable.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Nuggets vs Celtics spread and Over/Under analysis

The Celtics opened between -4.5 and -5.5 favorites for their game against the Nuggets on January 19, and at some sportsbooks that has since climbed as high as -6.5.

Denver has been dominant at home with their league best home-court advantage, but they’ve struggled quite a bit on the road. Denver has also been one of the more disappointing teams against the spread over the last two weeks. Per Cleaning the Glass, they’re underperforming the spread by an average of five points in that span.

The Celtics, meanwhile, are crushing teams against the spread at TD Garden, going 13-7 ATS at home. While I like taking the moneyline as a better play, they’re still a good bet to cover in my mind.

Friday’s total opened at 233.5 but has since fallen to as low as 232.5 at some sportsbooks. Oddsmakers are carrying different lines for this one, so price hunting is recommended if you are going to play the total.

Overall, this line seems a touch low to me, mostly because of Denver. The Nuggets have recently embraced the two extremes of their playstyle to their maximum extent. Per Cleaning the Glass, they have the No. 2 offense over their last six games but also the ninth-worst defense.  

They seem to be going through the motions on defense for large stretches of games with eyes on the playoffs already, but their offense never misses a beat.

Nuggets vs Celtics betting trend to know

The Celtics are 20-0 straight up at home this season. Find more NBA betting trends for Nuggets vs. Celtics.

Nuggets vs Celtics game info

Nuggets vs Celtics latest injuries

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