Jokic And Nuggets Will Take Out Tired Celtics

Celtics vs. Nuggets, 10:00 ET

There was a point in the not-so-distant past that I used to bet on the NBA daily. I can't bring myself to do that anymore. It just isn't a good strategy. Picking your spot is the best advice that I can give you. I'd rather have 10 bets in a month on the NBA that I feel good about then 30 bets because I feel like there is a spot every day. Don't get me wrong, if I looked, I could make a case for each play, but I've really only been putting out plays that I feel more confident in than an average play. I feel very confident in this one today between the Celtics and the Nuggets.

The Celtics are still one of the best teams in the NBA. Some of the talking heads mentioned they were going to take a big step back because Jayson Tatum was going to be out most (if not all) of the season. They also had to make trades and moves that eliminated a lot of their depth. It was a pretty obvious case that they might not be the elite team that won a championship just a couple of years ago. However, what most didn't recognize is just how good Jaylen Brown has been for the team. Brown is an elite player and is making a case for the MVP. He has taken over the team as the primary scorer, and he is a reliable defender. Payton Prichard has been a great sixth man as you'd expect, and the move the team has made didn't really hurt their depth as much as you'd think. I'm still surprised that Nikola Vucevic comes off the bench for them, but it was a good move nonetheless so they could get a reliable big that can also shoot. 

The Nuggets are having another strong year, and I mentioned I've already put in a bet for Nikola Jokic to win the MVP. Jokic is one of those players who is just truly elite. He does everything well and is having one of his best statistical seasons of all time. He is once again averaging a triple-double, which isn't as impressive of a statistic as it once was, but you can't deny the impact on the game. Remember, this is also a team that hasn't had its coach for a full season yet. They fired Mike Malone right before the playoffs last year, and now should be the time that everything starts to click. The problem, however, is that they have dealt with a ton of injuries this year. Jokic was out for many games. Aaron Gordon has missed a lot of time. Even Jamal Murray has seen the sidelines for a handful of games. Still, the team is 36-22 and competing for a top spot in the West. They are an elite team no matter how you look at it. 

For this game in particular, the Celtics are on their third game in four nights. This also includes a back-to-back game with travel. To be clear, the All-Star Break just happened, so they technically shouldn't be too exhausted from a strenuous schedule, but that is still a lot of travel, and now they have to deal with altitude as well. Brown did not play last night, so it is expected that he will play tonight. If you'd like, you can wait until he is ruled in, but I think the books have already accounted for it here. This is the first game back in action for the Nuggets since the 22nd, and first home game, which is usually a fade spot, but with the extra rest, I think it should be fine. Denver won the first game at Boston by four, and I think they win this one by eight or more. Give me the Nuggets to cover the -3.5. 

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