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Nuggets vs Celtics: Can the defending champs hand the Celtics their first home loss of the season?
The Denver Nuggets are visiting the Boston Celtics on Friday night at TD Garden.
The Nuggets are on an East Coast road trip
The Denver Nuggets are third in the Western Conference with a 28-14 record. The defending champions are coming off a 126-121 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first of five games on the road. Denver has the best assists/turnover ratio in the league and is ranked fourth with 49.9% shooting from the field. Nikola Jokic has another impressive season, averaging 25.5 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game.
Boston has a perfect home record
The Boston Celtics are on top of the Eastern Conference with a league-best 32-9 record. They have won the first 20 home games of the season and are on pace to attack the all-time best 40-1 home record. The Celtics are on a three-game winning streak and are coming off a 117-98 win over the San Antonio Spurs. Boston is the best three-point shooting team in the league with a 42.2%, and is ranked third in the league allowing 45% shooting from the field. Jayson Tatum is the best player on the C’s, averaging 27.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
Betting Trends
The Celtics are 20-0 SU at home this season, 11-2 SU in their last 13 home games against Denver, and 16-4 SU in their last 20 games overall.
Prediction and Conclusion
This is the game of the night between the teams that may end up playing for the NBA championship this season. The Celtics have yet to lose at home and are -5.5-point favorites going into this one. Denver is very solid, but they have their nights off. Nikola Jokic is flirting with the triple-double on any given night, and Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are very efficient on the offensive end lately. Still, the Celtics are dominant at home, and that has been the case against the Nuggets in the last decade. The Nuggets will have a shot in this game, but the Celtics will find a way to keep their perfect home record alive.
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