The Boston Celtics will host the Denver Nuggets in what will be a battle of 8-3 teams who both are on a four-game winning streak.
This will be the first time these two teams meet and they’re pretty evenly matched when taking a look at some of the numbers, setting this up for a great game in Boston tonight.
Similar to the Celtics, the Nuggets have relied on a heavy dose of distribution, ranking second in the league with 28.8 assists per game while shooting a league best 50.1 percent from the field.
Nikola Jokic is already off to what looks like another MVP caliber season. Jokic is averaging 21.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, and nine assists per game. He’s also hitting 61 percent from the field during Denver’s four-game winning streak.
In 11 games, Jokic has three triple-doubles and five double-doubles this season. He’s going to cause a problem for the Celtics tonight.
On the other hand, the Celtics have been clicking on all cylinders as the season progresses.
Led by early MVP candidate Jayson Tatum, the Celtics have the best offensive rating (118.5) in the league and are second in field goal percentage (48.3) only behind the Nuggets.
Not to mention having the best duo in the league, the Celtics also have the best bench and two of the top 3-point shooters in the league coming off their bench in Grant Williams (51.7%) and Sam Hauser (53.3%).
Boston lacks size where Denver doesn’t, but the Celtics don’t necessarily need to shut down Jokic to win the game. Being able to control the defensive end is something Boston has struggled with to start the season, however they’re starting to get back on track and we’ll most certainly see it put to the test tonight.
The Celtics will be without Malcolm Brogdon, they listed him as OUT yesterday after he left the game Wednesday night with hamstring tightness and was unable to return for the second half.
With Brogdon out, the second unit takes a hit, but Derrick White is an adequate replacement as the facilitator of the bench.
This game of two complete teams is going to be a true battle as one of their winning streaks will come to an end tonight. The TD Garden is going to be ROCKING and the atmosphere is going to be incredible on a beautiful Friday night in Boston.
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