The Boston Celtics are beating the NBA odds again – but will they keep it up Friday night when they host the Denver Nuggets?
Denver Nuggets vs. Boston Celtics
Friday, February 11, 2022 – 07:30 PM EST at TD Garden
Celtic Pride is very real. For a team that’s won exactly one championship since the Reagan Administration, the Boston Celtics have carried an unusually heavy burden of fan expectation through the years; however, those high hopes appeared to fade earlier this season, the first for the C’s under rookie head coach Ime Udoka – and their first since team architect Danny Ainge “retired” in June. Riven by injuries and dissension, the Celtics spent the entire holiday season at or below .500. Humbug.
Hope is returning to Beantown. The Celtics (31-25 SU, 28-27-1 ATS) have won six straight games at 4-2 ATS heading into Friday’s tilt with the Denver Nuggets (30-24 SU, 23-30-1 ATS), and after the C’s opened as 3.5-point home favorites overseas, it looks like they’ll be available at a bargain price when they hit our official NBA odds board.
White Sale
The Celtics should have some new players joining them, too. They made hay at Thursday’s trade deadline, cutting three separate deals that improved their roster without sacrificing any of their core players. Here’s how it all boils down from a personnel standpoint:
In: Derrick White, Daniel Theis
Out: Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, Dennis Schroder, Enes Freedom, Bruno Fernando, P.J. Dozier, Bol Bol
This is an impressive piece of work by the C’s front office, including GM Brad Stevens, who was kicked upstairs from head coach after Ainge’s retirement. Stevens and his people have made Udoka’s job a lot easier; Udoka is familiar with White from his days as assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs, and Theis played well during his first tour of duty with Boston – although he didn’t fit in very well with the Houston Rockets this year. Both can help the Celtics right now, although White is the more important commodity as a potential starting point guard or sixth man.
Things to Do in Denver
The Nuggets weren’t nearly as busy as Boston at the trade deadline. Unless some late news slips in under the wire, Denver stood pat Thursday, content with the somewhat cosmetic trade they made last month with Boston and San Antonio where they added Bryn Forbes to their injury-plagued backcourt. Statistically, Forbes has been awful, but the Nuggets are 7-4 SU since his arrival, albeit splitting the cash at 5-5-1 ATS.
Maybe Denver didn’t need to make any moves. They’ve got arguably the best player in the league in reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, and while he’s their center, he pretty much plays all five positions at the same time. Still, beating the Celtics and the NBA odds will be even tougher Friday now that actual point guard Monte Morris has been ruled out with a concussion. Bet accordingly.
NBA Pick: Celtics -4.5 (-110) at BetMGM
