3rd quarter report
The Celtics already have more points against the Nuggets than they managed in total against the Thunder last Sunday. The Celtics took a 98-93 lead against the Nuggets.
The Celtics came into the game with extra motivation after the loss they suffered the last time these two teams faced each other. We’ll see if they are able to flip the script or if it will just be more of the same.
Who’s playing
Boston Celtics @ Denver Nuggets
Current records: Boston 26-10, Denver 20-14
How to watch
- When: Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 10 p.m. ET
- Or: Ball Arena – Denver, Colorado
- TV: TNT
- Follow: CBS Sports app
- Ticket cost: $43.99
What you need to know
The Nuggets will be in front of their home fans on Tuesday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They will host the Boston Celtics at 10 p.m. ET at Ball Arena. The Nuggets are strutting around with some offensive power as they have averaged 120.8 points per game this season.
On Saturday, the Nuggets needed a little extra time to put the Spurs away. They won against San Antonio by a score of 122-111. Denver trailed 69-57 with 9:09 left in the third quarter, but they still came back for a handy 11-point victory.
Nikola Jokic was as usual, almost achieving a triple-double with 46 points, nine rebounds and ten assists. The team also received help from Michael Porter Jr., who had a double-double with 28 points and ten rebounds.
The Nuggets worked as a unit and finished the game with 32 assists (they are ranked first in assists per game overall). This strong performance was nothing new for the team: they have now accumulated at least 29 assists in six consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, the Celtics unfortunately saw the end of their three-game winning streak on Sunday. They suffered a 105-92 hit in the loss column at the hands of the Thunder. The loss hurt even more as Boston led 65-52 with 1:15 left in the second.
Denver has had some good results recently as they have won four of their last five games, which has been a nice improvement to their 20-14 record this season. As for Boston, their loss dropped their record to 26-10.
While only the Nuggets took care of their fans in their last game, neither team managed to cover. Looking ahead, the Celtics are the favorites as experts expect them to win by 5.5 points. This contest will be their 17th in a row as favorites (so far in that stretch, they are 7-9 ATS).
This competition is shaping up to be a blast: the Nuggets simply cannot fail this season, having drained 49.8% of their field goals per game (they are ranked second in overall field goal percentage). It’s a different story for the Celtics, as they’ve only made 46% of theirs this season. Given the Nuggets’ considerable advantage in this area, the Celtics will need to find a way to close that gap.
Odds
Boston is a solid 5.5-point favorite against Denver, according to the latest NBA Odds.
The line drifted a bit toward the Celtics, as the game opened with the Celtics as 4-point favorites.
The over/under is 235.5 points.
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History of the series
Boston has won 6 of its last 10 games against Denver.
- March 7, 2024 – Denver 115 vs. Boston 109
- January 19, 2024 – Denver 102 vs. Boston 100
- January 1, 2023 – Denver 123 vs. Boston 111
- November 11, 2022 – Boston 131 vs. Denver 112
- March 20, 2022 – Boston 124 vs. Denver 104
- February 11, 2022 – Boston 108 vs. Denver 102
- April 11, 2021 – Boston 105 vs. Denver 87
- February 16, 2021 – Boston 112 vs. Denver 99
- December 6, 2019 – Boston 108 against Denver 95
- November 22, 2019 – Denver 96 vs. Boston 92
