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

Betting odds, pick and prediction for the Boston Celtics-Denver Nuggets matchup on Tuesday night.

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown is a solid prop target tonight. / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics are looking to rebound from a dreadful second half on Sunday in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder when they take on the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night.

Denver currently holds the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference, but it hasn’t been nearly as dominant as the past two seasons. Yes, Nikola Jokic is still an MVP candidate and playing at an insanely high level, but the Nuggets have less depth than previous seasons and rank just 19th in the NBA in defensive rating through their first 34 games.

Oddsmakers have favored Boston on the road in this matchup, but the C’s are just 5-5 straight up in their last 10 games – arguably the roughest stretch they’ve had in the last two seasons.

With Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis both off the injury report and expected to play, can Boston rebound from Sunday’s loss?

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for this matchup between two title contenders tonight.  

Celtics vs. Nuggets Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Celtics -6 (-108)
• Nuggets +6 (-112)

Moneyline

• Celtics: -230
• Nuggets: +190

Total

• 235.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Celtics vs. Nuggets How to Watch

• Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7
• Time: 10:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Ball Arena
• How to Watch (TV): TNT
• Celtics record: 26-10
• Nuggets record: 20-14

Celtics vs. Nuggets Injury Reports

Celtics Injury Report

• Anton Watson – out
• Baylor Scheierman – out
• JD Davison – out
• Drew Peterson – out

Nuggets Injury Report

• Vlatko Cancar – out
• PJ Hall – out
• Spencer Jones – out
• Aaron Gordon – out
• DaRon Holmes II – out

Celtics vs. Nuggets Best NBA Prop Bets

Boston Celtics Best NBA Prop Bet

• Jaylen Brown OVER 1.5 3-Pointers Made (-160)

Jaylen Brown is shooting just 32.7 percent from beyond the arc this season, but he’s still attempting 7.0 shots per game from 3. 

That gives him a solid floor when it comes to his 3-point prop (set at 1.5) on Tuesday. The Nuggets have struggled to defend the 3, ranking 22nd in opponent made 3s per game.

Brown has at least two made shots from deep in 18 of his 29 games in the 2024-25 campaign. 

Denver Nuggets Best NBA Prop Bet

• Russell Westbrook OVER 12.5 Rebounds and Assists (-115)

With Aaron Gordon out, Russell Westbrook should be in line for a big role against Boston after starting each of the team’s last six games. 

Over that stretch, Russ has cleared this prop line five times, averaging 6.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game. In what may be a high-scoring game between two top-five offenses, I expect Russ to stuff the stat sheet for the Nuggets. 

Celtics vs. Nuggets Prediction and Pick

Earlier today, I shared my favorite bet for this matchup in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – and I’m leaning with Boston in an early-game pick: 

Last season, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics had far and away the best against the spread record in the first half of games in the NBA. 

That hasn’t continued into the 2024-25 campaign – Boston is just 17-19 against the spread in the first half – but it has a favorable matchup on Tuesday night.

Denver comes into this game with a dreadful 8-26 ATS record in the first half, by far the worst mark in the NBA. In fact, only the Orlando Magic (13-25 ATS) and Charlotte Hornets (12-22 ATS) are down more than 10 units in the first half this season, but Denver has bettors down over 22 units if they took their first half spread every night. 

With Aaron Gordon out for the Nuggets tonight, I think they could be in trouble against a Boston offense that is due for a bounce-back showing after putting up just 27 second-half points against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.

The C’s rank No. 2 in the NBA in first half net rating on the road (+13.3) while Denver is 26th in the NBA in first half net rating at home (-7.8). 

Without Gordon – an elite defense stopper – the Nuggets are going to have to rely more on their offense in this game. I don’t think that’s the way to compete with Boston, which ranks No. 2 in the NBA in offensive rating. 

Plus, the C’s don’t have a single key rotation player on their injury report tonight. I expect them to get out to an early lead in Denver. 

Pick: Celtics 1H Spread -2.5 (-120)

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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.