After the All-Star break, the Denver Nuggets have just suffered their first defeat. The Nuggets lost a tough game to Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns despite rallying from a huge deficit to force overtime. They acquire the Boston Celtics, who have the best record in the NBA, two days later.
With their new roster centered around talents Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics are heavy favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. Their efforts have paid off thus far. With the addition of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in the offseason, Boston’s roster is now the most talented in the East and possibly the whole NBA. To win, Denver will need to put up a fantastic effort.
The Crucial Who: Boston Celtics (48-13) at. Denver Nuggets (42-20)
When: 8:00 p.m. MST
Where: Denver, Colorado; The Can.
How to watch/listen: Unless it’s the idealized form from the 18th century, Denver Stiffs does not support piracy. TNT. NBA League pass available to non-Nuggets supporters. Radio 92.5 Altitude. Wear a ton of Dunkin Donuts merchandise, act like an annoying townie, and claim to be a member of Ben Affleck’s entourage.
Celtics Blog is a rival blog.
Where the Matchup IsSuns Advantage PG NuggetsMurray JamalHoliday JrueSG NuggetsDerek Kentavious Caldwell-Pope WhiteCeltics SFPorter, Michael Jr.Jaylen Brown, PF EvenAaron G. GordonTatum JaysonCeltics CKristops Porzingis and Nikola Jokic
Bench NuggetsZeke Nnaji, Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, Luke Kornet, Al Horford, Sam Hauser, and Reggie JacksonEven Report of Injury: Vlatko Cancar (knee) is out; Jaylen Brown (back) is questionable; Neemias Queta (knee) is out; JD Davidson (G-League) is out; Drew Peterson (G-League) is out; and Jordan Walsh (G-League) is out.
The Trio of Items
The key to keep an eye on is Starters vs. Starters.
This one’s starting lineup matchup really interests me. Both the Nuggets and the Celtics have a talented starting five, but the Nuggets are the only NBA team that, when considering only talent, may have a stronger starting five than Denver.
The problem is that they are really hot. Boston can start either Derrick White or Jrue Holiday against Jamal Murray since they both have excellent guard defense skills and suitable size for the point guard position. They know they have the ideal players for the matchup. Sadly, using both players in the starting lineup at the same time makes Boston smaller overall because they are undersized for positions other than point guard. Brown is paired with 6’10” Michael Porter Jr. at small forward when he should be playing guard. Tatum is playing power forward, where he will give up 25 pounds of muscle to Aaron Gordon, when he should be at small forward. Although Kristaps Porzingis excels as a rim-protecting four, who has to go down low with Nikola Jokic as a five? To put it mildly, the Zinger’s fortunes have not been favorable. Al Horford and Luke Kornet are two reliable big men the Celtics can pull off the bench, so I’ll be interested to see how long they stick with the starters and whether that will lead to matchups Denver can take advantage of.
The key to keep in mind is that the Celtics want some retaliation.
The Nuggets defeated Boston 102-100 in a close game back in January; it was the Celtics’ first home loss of the year. Boston coming in here and winning certainly won’t hurt as much because the Nuggets have already dropped six games at home this season, but I’m sure they’d still prefer to repay Denver by losing on their own court. Similar to the Nuggets, the Celtics are coming off a devastating, nationally televised loss on Tuesday, where the Cleveland Cavaliers prevailed via a challenge in the closing seconds of the game to seal the victory. Both teams will be desperate to win, and I anticipate a playoff-style atmosphere and intensity.
It is best to wager on Nuggets -1.5 (-110)
As I previously stated, Boston has a ton of skill, but I don’t think the Celtics should be playing here. It’s great for the Nuggets on their home court, in particular. It’s funny how often Joker has taken Porzingis to task. I’m not sure how Tatum will manage to avoid Gordon’s continual bullying in the post, and if Porter’s shot is successful, he will be able to shoot over Brown whenever he pleases. I’ll take a chance on the Nuggets not winning on a buzzer beating one-point victory because I think they’ll win this one.
To witness this game, we’re returning to Number Thirty-Eight in Rino. Visit us for fantastic beer discounts, giveaways of prizes, a live podcast, and to watch the Nuggets destroy the Celtics on many large screens. It was such a great time on Saturday, and I hope to see everyone tonight—as well as others who were unable to attend last time! A Jamal Murray shirt will be the main prize; register here to enter (must be present).
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