NBA Game of the Week: Nuggets vs. Celtics

Looking for a good sporting event to kick back and watch as you relax after this long week? Well, look no further than some exciting NBA action on tap to start the weekend off right.

The 28-14 Denver Nuggets are set to play the 32-9 Boston Celtics on the hardwood of TD Garden this Friday at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Boston has won seven of its last 10 games and heads into the matchup riding a three-game winning streak that includes a perfect 20-0 record at home.

The Celtics currently lead the Eastern Conference by four games with a grasp on the best record in the league.

For Denver, it’s won six of its last 10 games and hasn’t fared too well on opposing courts with an 11-10 mark on the campaign.

At this time, the Nuggets are third in the Western Conference behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and the conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves.

This showdown is the first time this season that these squads are facing each other, with each side splitting wins in two matchups last season.

The last time the Nuggets won in Boston during the regular season was back on March 18, 2019.

The motivation for Nikola Jokic and company to snatch that coveted road victory couldn’t be greater. And for Jayson Tatum and his personnel, the desire to refuse falling to the feet of opponents at home is the Celtics’ spark.

When intertwining these narratives together, you can clearly see the implications and stakes that weigh on the shoulders of both teams.

Looking more in-depth at the players, Tatum is accruing 27.1 points per game along with 8.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists. His teammate Jaylen Brown is also pushing gaudy numbers with 22.1 points per contest. Brown has been seething with productivity in the last 10 games with his 54.0% shooting and 5.2 rebounds in that stretch.

For Denver, Michael Porter Jr. is stacking 16.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. And Jokic is…well, still Jokic. The Serbian phenom is posting 22.9 points and 10.7 boards per clip with 76.8% shooting from the field in the Nuggets’ last 10 outings.

When gandering at team statistics throughout the last 10 games, the point averages are similar with Denver sinking 120.1 points per outing and Boston splashing 122.8 points.

Both teams also surrender a similar amount of points, as the Nuggets average 115.2 while the Celtics stand with 112.1 in a 10-game stretch.

Boston has done a better job at bagging rebounds and blocking shots lately, while Denver has excelled within the assists department along with steals and shooting from the field.

It’s also important to note that the Celtics will be without Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White due to injury. Both players have played big roles in Boston’s immense success this season.

With the Celtics not coughing up a home game yet and the Nuggets on more of a skid than usual, expect a Jokic break-out game where he flirts with triple-double numbers.

This isn’t to say though that Tatum won’t respond with soaring figures of his own and force Denver into a tough spot in an environment where they tend to struggle.

Expect a high-scoring game where discipline and whoever has possession at the end are the difference makers in what’s anticipated to be one thrilling battle.

Jake Irwin is a fourth-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email jpi5089@psu.edu.