Final: Nuggets 123, Celtics 109 - Jokics drops monster triple double to bury Boston

Game 37: Celtics (-2) vs. Denver Nuggets, 8 p.m., Ball Arena, NBCS Boston

Injuries: 

Boston: Danilo Gallinari, Robert Williams (questionable, non-COVID illness)

Nuggets: Jeff Green (hand), Collin Gillespie (leg), Jamal Murray (questionable, knee injury management), Aaron Gordon (probable, shoulder), Bruce Brown (probable, ankle)

Nuggets probable starters: Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter, Jr.

Refs: Bill Kennedy (#55), Kevin Cutler (#34), Ray Acosta (#54)

Last time they played: The Celtics rode Jaylen Brown (25 points) to an early lead, got big contributions from the bench in the second quarter, absorbed a Nikola Jokic (29 points) punch in the third, and pulled away with the MVP on the floor. Jayson Tatum (34 points) outplayed Jokic, Brown was nearly perfect, and Al Horford (6-8 from 3) turned into Sam Hauser for a night in what became a blowout win.

A little something about this game: The Nuggets have won six out of seven games and nine out of 11, to take the top spot in the West. They're coming off a win over Miami where Jokic put up his eighth triple double of the season and Murray put up seven points over the final two minutes. Denver comes in with the NBA’s second-best offensive rating (Boston is first) and the 24th-ranked defense.

How the Celtics win: Get out and run. Denver does not have a good transition defense, so the Celtics can take advantage of that by pushing the pace and trying to get easy baskets. They can get to the rim in general against the Nuggets, so attack, attack, attack and then get the 3-pointers off the kickouts. 

Defensively, try to do what they did last time and make Jokic one-dimensional. He only had three assists the first time around, and that offense depends on Jokic to make everyone better. If he’s not slinging, he’s not nearly as effective. He doesn’t really want to be a big scorer, so forcing him to shoot to carry the offense makes him the least comfortable. 

How Denver wins: Obviously the easiest path to winning is Jokic dropping another triple double and picking the defense apart with his passing. They average five more assists per game in wins than losses. A big game from Jamal Murray (if he plays), would probably mean a win. He shoots 11% better in wins, so if he’s hitting early, the Celtics will need to address that.

Things I’m looking for:

- Robert Williams impact: Who on Denver guards him? With Williams coming off the bench, are they going to try to check him with DeAndre Jordan? The Celtics second unit could have a big impact on the Nuggets because they don’t have an answer for Williams rolling or passing. 

- Ball movement: The Nuggets defense is not good, especially with Porter on the floor. Attack him when it’s possible, but also move the ball to get the Nuggets into rotation and force them to make decisions. Isolation ball helps a bad defense look better. 

Follow along below or in the comments during the game, chime in, and let’s have fun.