Through 3 Quarters

The Denver Nuggets were expected to take an ‘L’ in this one, but so far it isn’t playing out to script. It’s anybody’s game after three quarters, but the Nuggets are ahead of the Boston Celtics 81-76.

Denver has enjoyed the tag-team combination of center Nikola Jokic and power forward Aaron Gordon. The former has posted a triple-double on 15 points, 13 rebounds, and ten assists, while the latter has 13 points in addition to four boards. Jokic now has 14 triple-doubles this year.

Denver and Boston came into this contest with previous-game wins. After we’ll see if Denver has enough left in the tank to claim the win or if Boston will come out on top yet again.

Who’s Playing

Denver @ Boston

Current Records: Denver 30-24; Boston 31-25

What to Know

The Denver Nuggets haven’t won a game against the Boston Celtics since Nov. 22 of 2019, but they’ll be looking to end the drought Friday. After a few days’ rest for both teams, they will meet up at 7:30 p.m. ET Feb. 11 at TD Garden. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both teams posted some lofty points totals in their previous games, so things might heat up even more when they meet.

Denver didn’t have too much trouble with the New York Knicks at home on Tuesday as they won 132-115. The Nuggets’ success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but center JaMychal Green led the charge as he had 20 points.

Meanwhile, Boston really took it to the Brooklyn Nets for a full four quarters, racking up a 126-91 win on the road. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 69-43. Boston’s shooting guard Jaylen Brown did his thing and had 22 points and nine assists along with seven boards.

Denver is expected to lose this next one by 6. They might be worth taking a chance on against the spread, however, as they are currently on a two-game streak of ATS wins.

The wins brought Denver up to 30-24 and the Celtics to 31-25. Two stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: The Nuggets enter the contest with a 47.40% field goal percentage, good for third best in the league. But Boston have been holding their opponents to a field goal percentage of 43.20%, which places them second in the league. These opposing strengths should make for an exciting matchup.

How To Watch

• When: Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where: TD Garden — Boston, Massachusetts
• TV: NBATV
• Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Ticket Cost: $55.00

Odds

The Celtics are a solid 6-point favorite against the Nuggets, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Celtics as a 5-point favorite.

Over/Under: -110

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Series History

Boston have won seven out of their last 12 games against Denver.

• Apr 11, 2021 – Boston 105 vs. Denver 87
• Feb 16, 2021 – Boston 112 vs. Denver 99
• Dec 06, 2019 – Boston 108 vs. Denver 95
• Nov 22, 2019 – Denver 96 vs. Boston 92
• Mar 18, 2019 – Denver 114 vs. Boston 105
• Nov 05, 2018 – Denver 115 vs. Boston 107
• Jan 29, 2018 – Boston 111 vs. Denver 110
• Dec 13, 2017 – Boston 124 vs. Denver 118
• Mar 10, 2017 – Denver 119 vs. Boston 99
• Nov 06, 2016 – Denver 123 vs. Boston 107
• Feb 21, 2016 – Boston 121 vs. Denver 101
• Jan 27, 2016 – Boston 111 vs. Denver 103

Injury Report for Boston

• Derrick White: Game-Time Decision (Not Injury Related)
• Daniel Theis: Game-Time Decision (Not Injury Related)

Injury Report for Denver

• Austin Rivers: Game-Time Decision (Hip)
• Monte Morris: Out (Concussion)
• Jamal Murray: Out (Knee)
• Vlatko Cancar: Out (Foot)
• Michael Porter Jr.: Out (Back)