NBA Picks Today: Denver Nuggets vs Boston Celtics Betting Odds and Predictions on January 7

The Denver Nuggets hope to sustain its winning momentum while the Boston Celtics aim to rebound quickly from a loss as they clash this Tuesday at the jam-packed Ball Arena.  

“Denver returned to the win column on Saturday after a 122-111 overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs while Boston saw their three-game winning run end on Sunday following a 105-92 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.”

(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

• Early Denver Nuggets vs Boston Celtics odds have Jayson Tatum and the Celtics as the slight four-point favorite in this matchup against the Nuggets.
• Denver, however, has been solid when the odds are against their favor, having covered the six out of nine times as an underdog this season.
• The Celtics and the Nuggets met twice last season, with the former winning all their encounters by an average margin of 15 points.

Will former two-time league Most Valuable Player (MVP) Nikola Jokic deliver another huge performance to lead the Nuggets to its second straight win or will Tatum and the rest of the Celtics spoil the party and return to the win column?

As of press time, here’s how the current Denver Nuggets vs Boston Celtics betting lines look as we head into another thrilling clash between two of the league’s top dogs.

Denver Nuggets vs Boston Celtics DraftKings NBA Odds for January 7

Moneyline

• Denver Nuggets: +142
• Boston Celtics: -170

Spread

• Denver Nuggets: +4 (-115)
• Boston Celtics: -4 (-105)

Over/Under (Total)

• OVER 236 (-110)
• UNDER 236 (-110)

Denver Nuggets vs Boston Celtics Injury Report

Denver Nuggets Injury Report

1. Spencer Jones – Groin – Day-to-Day
2. Aaron Gordon – Calf – Day-to-Day
3. Vlatko Cancar – Knee – Out
4. DaRon Holmes II – Out

Boston Celtics Injury Report

• No Injuries

Best NBA odds for Denver Nuggets vs Boston Celtics

• The Denver Nuggets have covered the spread six out of nine times as an underdog this season. The best Denver Nuggets odds to cover the spread are available on Bet365 for an attractive price of -110.
• The Boston Celtics beat the Denver Nuggets twice last season by an average margin of 15 points. DraftKings offers the best odds for the Celtics to win in style and cover the spread at -105.
• The over total hit in the previous encounter between the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics. The best Denver Nuggets vs Boston Celtics odds for the over are available on BetMGM at -105

Why will the Denver Nuggets cover the spread?

Winners of four of their last five, the Denver Nuggets banked on the heroics of franchise superstar Nikola Jokic to beat the San Antonio Spurs 122-111 in overtime and return to the win column.

• The Serbian superstar recorded its second consecutive 40-point game and fourth of the season after finishing with a near triple-double of 46 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds on 54.3% shooting from the field.
• After a solid December where he averaged 32.2 points per contest, the 29-year old Jokic has turned it up a notch this month, contributing 36.7 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 11.3 assists per game.

Jokic is expected to deliver the same numbers again as the Nuggets battle the defending champions, Boston Celtics next.

• Jokic has been more than solid in his past three games versus the Celtics, averaging a triple-double of 32 points, 12 rebounds, and 10.7 assists on 66% shooting from the field.

Of course, Denver will need more than just Jokic to cover the spread, let alone beat a talented Celtics team that holds an above .500 record against Western Conference teams this season.

One name that comes into mind is combo guard Jamal Murray who has struggled in the past two games, averaging just 13.5 points, 6.5 assists, and five rebounds while only converting 35.3% of his shots from the field.

• Fortunately for the Nuggets, the 27-year old Murray has been more than impressive in 12 career games versus the Celtics, averaging 20.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists.

Bench scoring should also play a pivotal role in this game, especially with the Nuggets likely missing Aaron Gordon for the seventh consecutive contest. Against the Spurs on Saturday, Denver only got 18 points from their reserves, which simply isn’t enough to frustrate the Celtics.

Should Jokic deliver similar numbers and the Nuggets get the offensive boost from its supporting cast, particularly Murray and Michael Porter Jr., backing the home team to cover the spread is something you’d want to do at -115.

Why will the Boston Celtics cover the spread?

Top league MVP contender Jayson Tatum had a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds while Jaylen Brown recorded 21 points but it wasn’t enough for the Boston Celtics to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder as they fell to the latter 105-92 on Sunday.

Boston hopes to end their four-game road trip on a high note as they clash with the Denver Nuggets next and from the looks of it, they might be able to do such a thing.

• For context, the Celtics beat the Nuggets twice last season, with the last victory being a 130-104 demolition of the latter.
• One thing that stood out in that game was Boston’s suffocating perimeter and interior defenses that forced Denver to not only shoot just 23.5% from the field but also commit 20 turnovers.

With the Nuggets likely missing key role players such as Aaron Gordon in this matchup, there could be value towards backing the Celtics to cover the spread and win big on the road.

However, for Boston to do such a thing, they will need their three-point shots to fall. Against the Thunder, the Celtics only converted nine of its 46 attempts from the three-point country and what’s even worse is they allowed their opponents to shoot 42.1%.

Considering the hostile crowd in Denver and the current offensive display of Nikola Jokic, this simply won’t cut it and the Celtics will have to do more than just take ill-advised shots to win and let alone cover the spread.

Should the Celtics address their shooting concerns and continue to play their brand of defense, there’s no team in the league that could stop them from running riot and win games for fun.

Final Denver Nuggets vs Boston Celtics NBA Prediction: Denver Nuggets ML +142

The Boston Celtics are certainly a great team and they’ve shown it this season as evident from their 26-10 (win-loss) record. However, I just don’t see anyone from the Celtics roster that can stop Nikola Jokic right now.

With Jokic going bonkers and the Denver Nuggets having plenty of offensive firepower on the floor, I am going out of the limb and picking the underdog to win outright here. Give me the Nuggets to win at the sweet plus money odds of.