Preview: Boston Begins Road Trip in Denver, Squares Off vs Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
Winslow Townson | USA TODAY Sports
The Celtics are back on the road today after going 4-3 during their seven-game homestand at TD Garden. They have taken down the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves in their last two games and now face the tall task of squaring off against the Denver Nuggets.
HOW TO WATCH
Location: Ball Arena, Denver, Colo.
Time: 3:00 p.m. (EST) / 12:00 p.m. (PST)
Channel(s): NBC Sports Boston / NBA TV
Jerseys: City Edition (Banner Jerseys)
PLAYER STATS
MVP candidate Nikola Jokic leads the Nuggets in almost every category. The superstar center is averaging 26.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 8.8 assists a night. Point guard Jamal Murray is also averaging above 20 points per contest (21.3). The Nuggets also have four more players scoring in the double-digits this season - Michael Porter Jr. (17.1), Will Barton (12.8), Aaron Gordon (12.3), and Monte Morris (10.6).
All-Star duo Jayson Tatum (25.7 PPG) and Jaylen Brown (24.3 PPG) lead the C’s in scoring this season. The guard tandem of Kemba Walker (17.7 PPG) and Marcus Smart (13.4 PPG) are third and fourth in the scoring column. Tatum is fresh off of a career-high 53-point performance against Minnesota, while Smart has been a crucial part of the offense due to his playmaking.
RECENT GAMES
Denver is 34-18 this season and has been on fire since the trade deadline. They are 9-1 in their last ten games, including wins over the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers.
The Celtics have been picking things up as of late, too, going 6-4 in their last ten games. They now sit at 27-26 and are above .500 for the first time since March 16. Boston’s overall energy has been much-improved over the past two games. The entire team has been much more aggressive on both ends of the floor.
INJURIES
The Nuggets have a brief injury report going into today’s game. Guard Shaquille Harrison is out due to health and safety protocols. Meanwhile, Murray is questionable due to a knee issue.
Boston’s injury report is a bit more problematic. Evan Fournier is out due to health and safety protocols and did not travel with the team on their current road trip. However, the big issue is that Tatum and Brown are now both listed as questionable for today’s contest. Brown is dealing with left knee soreness, while Tatum is questionable due to a non-COVID illness.
KEYS TO THE GAME
Regardless of if their stars play, the primary key for Boston will be to shut down Jokic as much as possible. The Nuggets run their offense through Jokic in the post, so it should be a big-time redemption game for Robert Williams. He struggled against Joel Embiid, another elite big man, so he has a chance to redeem himself in this one.
Denver loves to cut to the basket and find open shooters. Stopping Gordon before he can drive and rotating out to shooters will be essential. Boston has to keep the defensive intensity at an all-time high if they want to come away with a victory.
PREGAME SHOW
Make sure to tune in to our live pregame show, “The Banner Town Build Up.” We are live 30 minutes before every Celtics game @GuyBostonSports on YouTube and Facebook. See you there at 2:30 p.m. (EST) today!
