It’s a blockbuster matchup tonight. The previous two NBA Champions square off as the Denver Nuggets host the Boston Celtics at Ball Arena. The Celtics haven’t missed a beat since winning the title. They own a 26-10 record, currently sit second in the Eastern Conference standings and remain the odds on favorite to win the title this year. They boast the best starting five in the league and are led by stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. The Nuggets have been playing better recently so this will be a true test of where they stand in their quest to remain in contender status.
The Essentials
Who: Denver Nuggets (20-14) vs Boston Celtics (26-10)
When: 8:00PM MST
Where: The Can. Denver, CO.
How to watch/listen: Denver Stiffs does not condone piracy…unless its the romanticized 17th century type. TNT, Altitude Radio 92.5FM. Show up with Dunkin, a sense of defeatism and some famous actress named Jennifer and security will probably just assume you’re Ben Affleck.
Rival blog: Celtics Blog
The Matchup
| Position | Nuggets | Celtics | Advantage |
| PG | Jamal Murray | Derrick White | Even |
| SG | Russell Westbrook | Jrue Holiday | Celtics |
| SF | Christian Braun | Jaylen Brown | Celtics |
| PF | Michael Porter Jr. | Jayson Tatum | Celtics |
| C | Nikola Jokic | Kristaps Porzingis | Nuggets |
| Bench | Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson, Hunter Tyson, DeAndre Jordan | Al Horford, Payton Pritchard, Luke Kornet, Sam Hauser | Celtics |
Injury report: Aaron Gordon – out (calf), Vlatko Cancar – out (knee), DaRon Holmes II – out (achilles), Spencer Jones – out (adductor), PJ Hall – out (G-League); Baylor Scheierman – out (G-League), JD Davidson – out (G-League), Drew Peterson – out (G-League), Anton Watson – out (G-League).
The Three Things
The thing to watch for: Russell Westbrook vs Jrue Holiday
Two guys who’ve been doing it a long time in the league face off tonight. Russell Westbrook has been the X-Factor for Denver since he was put into the starting lineup with Aaron Gordon out. He brings a different angle to the game than Jamal Murray and the two of them together as Denver’s starting backcourt has reaped success. However, Russ’ best bet in terms of scoring is to attack the basket & Jrue is still one of the best players in the league at keeping opposing guards from attacking the basket. I’m sure Jrue will be all too happy to let Russ settle for jumpers so he’s going to have to work for his buckets. Since Westbrook entered the starting lineup (and Christian Braun entered a shooting slump) the spacing hasn’t been great for Denver. Most teams are content to let Denver’s perimeter guys (outside of Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray) bomb away and take their chances. Russ has the ability to switch that up with his dribble penetration and at times it’s been a lifesaver this season. If he can’t get that going tonight against Jrue it could be a very long night for Denver.
The thing to remember: This team is looking for revenge
Don’t think for one second that the Celtics have forgotten about being handed their first home loss and getting swept in the regular season by the Nuggets last year. While it ultimately all worked out for Boston, since Denver fell short of a return trip to the finals the Celtics have yet to get their payback. I’m guessing they’ll be pretty amped for this game. Throw in the fact that a team that barely loses and almost never loses twice is coming to Denver off of a loss and this game spells disaster if the Nuggets aren’t at max energy from the jump.
The thing to bet: Nikola Jokic over 29.5 points (-115)
The Celtics have a gluttony of perimeter defenders. They will not be giving up easy baskets to Denver’s wings. However, we have ample evidence to show Kristaps Porzingis cannot contain Nikola Jokic and when the Nuggets play the Porzingis Celtics they feed the big man. Joker has scored 30 or more in four of his last five matchups with Porzingis and in the one he didn’t he scored 29. He’s also averaging 31.5 points per game on the season and 36.6 points per game in his last five. I feel pretty safe with this one.
