Nuggets vs. Celtics Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Wednesday, Jan. 7

Boston is favored at home against the Jokic-less Nuggets.

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon is a solid prop target on Wednesday. / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Denver Nuggets are coming off a crazy win on Monday night without all five of their starters, and they’ll potentially have Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun (all questionable) back in the lineup on Wednesday for a huge matchup with the Boston Celtics.

Boston knocked off the Chicago Bulls on Monday, jumping into the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference standings in the process. Jaylen Brown is having an All-NBA caliber season for Boston, which has defied expectations with Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out of the lineup.

Now, the C’s find themselves as home favorites against the Nikola Jokic-less Nuggets. Denver has turned in some clunkers (a loss to Brooklyn) and some impressive wins (road victories over Philly and Toronto) with Jokic (knee) out of the lineup. 

Denver is going to find out a lot about itself in the coming weeks with Jokic expected to be sidelined for at least four weeks after injuring his knee against Miami. 

Can the Nuggets hang around as road dogs in this matchup?

Here’s a look at the odds, my favorite player prop and a prediction for Wednesday’s contest between two potential title contenders. 

Nuggets vs. Celtics Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Nuggets +9.5 (-115)
• Celtics -9.5 (-105)

Moneyline

• Nuggets: +300
• Celtics: -380

Total

• 232.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Nuggets vs. Celtics How to Watch

• Date: Wednesday, Jan. 7
• Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: TD Garden
• How to Watch (TV): ESPN
• Nuggets record: 24-12
• Celtics record: 23-12

Nuggets vs. Celtics Injury Reports

Nuggets Injury Report

• Tama Bates – out
• Nikola Jokic – out
• Jonas Valanciunas – out
• Cameron Johnson – out
• Jamal Murray – questionable
• Christian Braun – questionable
• Aaron Gordon – questionable
• Tim Hardaway Jr. – questionable 

Celtics Injury Report

• Jayson Tatum – out
• Ron Harper Jr. – out
• Max Shulga – out
• Amari Williams – out
• Josh Minott – out

Nuggets vs. Celtics Best NBA Prop Bets

Nuggets Best NBA Prop Bet

• Aaron Gordon OVER 4.5 Rebounds (-142)

In today’s best NBA props at SI Betting, I broke down why Gordon is worth a look against Boston: 

Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon is questionable against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, but he did play on Sunday in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

I’d expect Gordon to suit up after sitting out Monday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers, and his rebound prop is set below his season average (5.9) in this matchup. The Nuggets forward was on a clear minutes limit in his last game, but he still pulled down six rebounds in just over 21 minutes against Brooklyn.

With Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas out, the Nuggets need to have a team-wide commitment to the glass to stay in games for the next few weeks. Boston hasn’t exactly been great on the defensive boards (26th in defensive rebound percentage), which should help Gordon when it comes to this prop. 

In 14 games this season, Gordon has eight with at least six rebounds and 10 with at least five boards. He should hit this number even in limited minutes on Wednesday night. 

Nuggets vs. Celtics Prediction and Pick

It may be worth waiting for the final statuses of Murray, Gordon and Braun before betting on this game, but it would be surprising to see all three players sit out after they had a rest day on Monday.

Denver won outright without them as a 15.5-point underdog against Philly, and it’s currently 4-1 against the spread when set as a road underdog this season.

This is a tough matchup against a Boston team that is No. 1 in the NBA in net and offensive rating over its last 10 games, but the C’s have also struggled a bit when favored at home, going 6-6 against the spread despite posting an average scoring margin of +9.6 points per game.

Denver isn’t the same team without Jokic, but it may be able to cover this spread if all three of Murray, Gordon and Braun play. 

The Nuggets are a tricky team to figure out without Jokic, but oddsmakers are treating them like a borderline play-in team with this line. I think this game will be a little closer, especially after Denver’s bench pulled off a wild win on Monday night. 

Pick: Nuggets +9.5 (-115 at DraftKings)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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