Nuggets vs. Celtics Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Sunday, March 2

Two NBA Finals contenders face off in Boston on Sunday afternoon, as Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets aim to upset Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics.

Boston blew a massive early lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, all but sealing its fate that it’ll be the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference this season.

The C’s will be in a tough spot in this game, as Jaylen Brown is listed as questionable and Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday are both doubtful on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Denver snapped Detroit’s lengthy winning streak on Friday night, and the Nuggets are a game up on the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

Can Denver pull off an upset as a short road favorite in what could be a potential NBA Finals matchup?

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for this interconference showdown.

Nuggets vs. Celtics Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Nuggets +3.5 (-108)
Celtics -3.5 (-112)

Moneyline

Nuggets: +130
Celtics: -155

Total

235 (Over -110/Under -110)

Nuggets vs. Celtics How to Watch

Date: Sunday, March 2
Time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Venue: TD Garden
How to Watch (TV): ABC
Nuggets record: 39-21
Celtics record: 42-18

Nuggets vs. Celtics Injury Reports

Nuggets Injury Report

Trey Alexander – out
Vlatko Cancar – out
Aaron Gordon – questionable
PJ Hall – out
DaRon Holmes II – out
Zeke Nnaji – questionable
Peyton Watson – out

Celtics Injury Report

Jaylen Brown – questionable
Kristaps Porzingis – doubtful
Jrue Holiday – doubtful

Nuggets vs. Celtics Best NBA Prop Bets

Denver Nuggets Best NBA Prop Bet

Nikola Jokic OVER 26.5 Points (-125)

In his last four meetings against Boston (dating back to Nov. 2022), Nikola Jokic has 29 or more points in four straight showings, making him an interesting value pick on Sunday.

The Celtics are likely going to be without their best shot-blocker in Porzingis, and Jokic has shown this season that he’s willing to score the ball at a high level when the game calls for it. The MVP candidate is averaging 29.1 points per game this season, and he’s cleared 26.5 points in eight of his last 13 games.

Boston Celtics Best NBA Prop Bet

Jayson Tatum OVER 7.5 Assists (+100)

This may seem like a little bit of a reach for Jayson Tatum since he’s averaging just 5.8 assists per game, but Denver is a great matchup for him in this market.

The Nuggets allow the most assists per game in the NBA, and Tatum has cleared 7.5 dimes in four of his last five games. With Brown questionable and Holiday doubtful, Tatum should have the ball in his hands a ton as the primary playmaker in this Boston offense.

Nuggets vs. Celtics Prediction and Pick

All season long, Boston has struggled when favored at home, covering the spread in just 11 of 29 games overall.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets are the No. 3 team in the NBA against the spread as a road underdog, going 6-3, and now they’re catching more than a possession against the C’s on Sunday.

Boston’s injury report is the big concern, and it was obvious on Friday that the C’s didn’t have enough help despite huge games from Brown and Tatum (they combined for 83 points) to beat Cleveland.

While the Nuggets may lose the math game here – Boston shoots a ton of 3s and Denver doesn’t – Jokic may be the great equalizer on the inside with Porzingis expected to sit this one out.

Denver is live to pull off an upset, and I think it’ll at least keep this game close on Sunday afternoon.

Pick: Nuggets +3.5 (-108 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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