Sportsbook odds (betus reviews) for the NBA Finals may change a little bit with the passing of the trade deadline as a few teams made some moves, including Boston. The Celtics will wrap up a Western road swing on Sunday in Denver, and they should have a new face in the lineup.
Celtics vs Nuggets odds – Sunday, 3:30 PM ET
The Celtics (34-18 as of Friday) will play Friday in Portland, taking a two-game winning streak into that game as they beat the Los Angeles Lakers 87-86 on the road on Thursday. Ray Allen led the way with 24 points and made a key stop on Derek Fisher after being the focus of so much trade talk leading up to the deadline. It turns out that the Celtics made a deal, but they didn't have to give up Allen. Boston traded Eddie House, among others, to New York for Nate Robinson, who became the first man to win the slam-dunk contest three times with a win during All-Star weekend. Robinson will provide a spark off the bench for the Celtics, but he has to prove he is mature enough to handle being on a winning team. With all of the veteran leadership in the Boston locker room, this should be no problem.
The Nuggets (36-18 as of Friday) will play in Washington on Friday before returning home to face the Celtics on Sunday, and on Thursday, they had a showdown with another Eastern Conference power. Denver went to Cleveland and outlasted the Cavaliers 118-116 in overtime, and people had to be impressed with the way the Nuggets handled themselves in one of the toughest places to play in the entire league. Carmelo Anthony put up 40 points in a duel with LeBron James, while Kenyon Martin and Chauncey Billups added 18 points apiece for the Nuggets, who had 25 assists to only five turnovers.
The Nuggets should be favored in your sportsbook at the Pepsi Center, where they are 23-5, and the Celtics have dropped four of their last five trips to Denver. However, they went to the Pepsi Center last year and handed the Nuggets a 114-76 beatdown for Denver's worst loss at home since 1998, and that was without Kevin Garnett. This is a different Celtics team from last year, and the Robinson move reeks of desperation, but it can't be any worse than Boston picking up Stephon Marbury last year. The Nuggets will have some confidence from their Cleveland victory, as well as a likely win in Washington on Friday, and the Celtics may be a bit worn out from a road trip that was interrupted by the All-Star break.
NBA betting pick: Denver
