The Celtics host the Denver Nuggets for the 2nd and final game between them this season. The Celtics won the first game 118-106 in Denver on January 7. The Nuggets won both games between them last season. The Celtics are 61-40 overall, all time against the Nuggets and they are 40-10 in games played in Boston.
In the off-season, the Nuggets lost their starting two guard, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Orlando Magic in free agency. They also lost Reggie Jackson and Justin Holiday. They have added a couple of very key players in Russell Westbrook and Dario Saric along with DaRon Holmes II. Holmes was lost for the season with a torn Achilles. The Nuggets stood pat at the trade deadline, while the Celtics swapped Jaden Springer for Torrey Craig.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, and are 7.5 games behind the first place Cavaliers who have won their last 9 games, including a win over Boston on Friday. They are 2.5 games ahead of 3rd place New York and 8 games ahead of 4th place Milwaukee. The Celtics are 18-11 at home and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are 11-7 against Western Conference opponents. They have lost their last 2 games.
The Nuggets are 2nd in the West, 9.5 games behind 1st place Oklahoma City. They are just half a game ahead of 3rd place Memphis, 1 game ahead of the 4th place Lakers and 1.5 games ahead of 5th place Houston. They are 19-12 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 17-8 against Eastern Conference opponents and are coming off a win in their last game.
The Celtics are playing in the 2nd game of a 7 game home stand. They lost the first game to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. After this game against Denver, the Celtics will host Portland, Philadelphia, LA Lakers, Utah, and Oklahoma City. After the 7 home games they will play 8 of the next 9 games on the road, including another trip out West.
This is the final game of a 4 game road trip for the Nuggets. They are 2-1 so far on the trip, beating Indiana and Detroit and losing to Milwaukee. After this game in Boston, they will play at home against Sacramento and Phoenix before playing 2 games back to back at Oklahoma City. They will then play at home against Minnesota, Los Angeles Lakers, and Washington before another 4 game road trip through the Warriors, Lakers, Trail Blazers,. and Rockets.
Jrue Holiday is doubtful due to a finger injury. Kristaps Porzingis is also doubtful with an illness. Both missed the Cleveland game as well. Jaylen Brown is once again questionable for this game. He missed the Pistons game with a thigh contusion but played against Cleveland. I’m going to guess he will play in this one since both Porzingis and Holiday are doubtful.
For the Nuggets. Aaron Gordon is questionable with an ankle injury. Zeke Nnaji started the last game in his place but he is also questionable for this game with a sprained ankle. If neither can play, Julian Strawther may get the start. PJ Hall is questionable with a concussion. Vlatko Cancar (knee), DaRon Holmes II (Achilles) and Payton Watson (knee) are all out.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves
Luke Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Baylor Scheierman
Torrey Craig
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Jordan Walsh
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson
Injuries/Out
Kristaps Porzingis (illness) doubtful
Jrue Holiday (finger) doubtful
Jaylen Brown (knee) questionable
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Nuggets Reserves
DeAndre Jordan
Jalen Pickett
Dario Saric
Julian Strawther
Hunter Tyson
Russell Westbrook
2 Way Players
Trey Alexander
PJ Hall
Spencer Jones
Out/Injuries
DaRon Holmes II (Achilles) out
Vlatko Cancar (knee) out
Payton Watson (knee) out
Aaron Gordon (ankle) questionable
PJ Hall (concussion) questionable
Zeke Nnaji (ankle) questionable
Head Coach
Michael Malone
Key Matchups
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Al Horford
Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images
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Nikola Jokic
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Al Horford vs Nikola Jokic
Jokic is has won 3 MVP’s and is in the conversation for MVP every season for a reason. He is averaging 29.1 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He is shooting 57.7% from the field and 44% from beyond the arc. Over his career, against the Celtics, he averaged 22.8 points, 10.5 rebounds 6.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He did not play in the first game in Denver. He is a handful and the Celtics need to try to slow him down by any means necessary.
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Derrick White
Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images
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Jamal Murray
Photo by C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images
Derrick White vs Jamal Murray
Murray is averaging 21.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He is shooting 47.4% from the field and 40.4% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, Murray finished with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. The Celtics will need to defend Murray very well both on 3’s and in the paint as he can put up points in a hurry.
Honorable Mention
Sam Hauser vs Michael Porter, Jr
Porter is averaging 18.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. He is shooting 51.1% from the field and 41.2% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics he finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists while shooting 38.5% from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc. Porter is a very good 3 point shooter and so they have to stay with him on the perimeter but he can also score in the paint so the Celtics need to be ready for him to drive as well.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is the key to winning every game. The Celtics are 5th with a defensive rating of 110.0. The Nuggets have a defensive rating of 113.9, which is 15th. The Celtics average 116.9 points per game (6th), while the Nuggets average 121.3 points per game (3rd). The Nuggets are 1st in the league with 59.5 points in the paint per game and so the Celtics must especially defend the paint and keep the Nuggets away from the rim. The Nuggets are 3rd, shooting 38.1% from beyond the arc and so the Celtics also have to defend them on the perimeter.
Rebound – Rebounding is another key to winning every game. The Celtics are 11th in the league, averaging 44.9 rebounds per game. The Nuggets are 4th in the league with 45.9 rebounds per game. Rebounding takes effort and the Celtics have to work harder to grab rebounds to limit the Nuggets second chance points and fast breaks since the Nuggets are first with 20.1 fast break points per game.
Effort and Energy for 48 Minutes – The Celtics must be the more aggressive team. They have to fight for loose balls, defend aggressively, be aggressive in driving to the basket, and just play harder than the Nuggets for the entire game. They can’t play hard for one half and let up in the second half like they did against the Cavaliers. They have to be the team that wants it more and play like it. They especially have to begin the game with energy and not allow the Nuggets to race out to a big lead and they can’t let up throughout the game. They especially have to come out strong in the 3rd quarter and play hard until the final buzzer.
Move the Ball Carefully – The Celtics need to keep moving the ball to find the open man and make it much harder to guard them. However, they have to be careful with their passes and not turn the ball over as the Nuggets average 17.4 points per game off turnovers. The Celtics also need to be careful when they dribble the ball and not drive into a crowd and turn the ball over. The Celtics are usually very good at taking care of the ball but they turned the ball over 17 times against the Pistons. The Nuggets average 31.3 assists per game, 1st in the league. The Celtics are 17th with 25.8 assists per game. The Celtics play much better when they have more assists.
X-Factors
Home Game – The Celtics are once again home and they should get a boost from the home crowd. This is their second straight home game so they have the benefit of not having to travel also. The Nuggets are playing in the final game of a 4 game road trip and may be getting road weary and the final game of a road trip is always a tough one. They also have the distactions of travel, staying in hotels, and playing in front of a hostile crowd. And, they are playing without the help of their mile high atmosphere.
Officiating – I know that I say this every game, but the officiating can always be an x-factor. Every crew calls the game differently whether they call every little ticky tack foul or they let a lot of contact go and let the teams play. We have already seen games where the officiating made a difference in the outcome, both good and bad. Jaylen Brown was adamant that a call on a Cavs flop made the difference in the last game. The Celtics have got to adjust to the way the game is being called and not let the calls affect their focus or their play.
