Germantas Kneita
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Tonight we may very well be seeing an NBA Finals preview. The Boston Celtics have been the clear cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference and have dominated the conference. With the likes of the 76ers dealing with key injuries and the Milwaukee Bucks still establishing their identity, they will be favorites to progress in the playoffs. The Nuggets are not far off the conference lead themselves and have a playoff proven team. Both teams will know they could see each other for their final game of the 2023-2024 season, which should make tonight’s matchup intriguing.
You can check out all of our NBA picks for today’s games, but for now let’s jump into my Celtics vs Nuggets Same Game Parlay.
Nuggets ML (-104)
Jokic 10+ assists (+125)
Jokic over 12.5 rebounds (+100)
NBA parlay odds: +520
Denver Nuggets ML over Boston Celtics (-104)
Both teams are coming into this game after a loss, with the home side having a much more urgent need to bounce right back. The Nuggets are just a game shy of the top spot in the West, while out East it seems inconceivable that the Celtics will squander their 8-game lead. The Nuggets are one of just 3 teams to beat the Celtics on their home floor this season. Now with the game shifting to Denver, the visitors could have issues exacting revenge. Their road form is much more questionable, with a 19-10 record. They will have to rely during stretches on a 37-year old Al Horford to match up with Jokic. There are very few players in the league who can really impact the Serb, and Horford is not one of them. The Nuggets are a dominant 24-6 at home this season, and I expect them to take care of business tonight.
Read our full Boston Celtics vs Denver Nuggets predictions
Nikola Jokic 10+ assists (+125)
The Boston Celtics have the personnel like Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown who can make it extremely difficult for opposing guards at the point of attack. However, if the opposing center is the player running the offense, they have far fewer options to help limit this. It is something I expect Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets to exploit. The former MVP managed 9 assists when the sides faced off earlier this season and should be able to go one better tonight.
Kristaps Porzingis has the length to impact Jokic but lacks the bulk to keep him from getting to his positions in the post. Look for the Celtics to require sending help his way, allowing Jokic to pick out open teammates. With the Nuggets 8th in field-goal percentage over the last 10 games, they should be well positioned to convert tonight. While Jokic has not had double-digit assists in any of his last 3 games, he did have 4 games prior to that when he did. Look for him to get back to those numbers tonight.
Nikola Jokic over 12.5 rebounds (+100)
One area Jokic has not had issues lately is rebounding. He is 3rd in the NBA in rebounds per game, averaging 12.3 per night. In the 7 games since the all-star break he has managed to record at least 13 in 5 games. Look for that run to continue against a Celtics team that leads the NBA in 3-point percentage over the last 10 games. It should mean that the Nuggets will have to close out all the way to the perimeter. It should mean that Jokic has less competition from his teammates when battling for defensive rebounds. Over the last 10 games the Nuggets have been a top 10 team in defensive rating, so they should be able to force misses. The Celtics have ranked 4th in the same category, which should allow Jokic to use his size to grab offensive rebounds. He should be good value to get a triple-double tonight.
We also have an NBA mega parlay tonight that includes a Celtics vs Nuggets pick!
