Game Preview: Nuggets v Celtics

The Denver Nuggets will host the Boston Celtics on Friday at Pepsi Center. The
Celtics (41-24) are coming off their most impressive win of the regular season
so far, as they traveled to Golden State on Wednesday and defeated the Warriors
on their own floor. They did so with defense, as they held the Warriors to a
season-low 86 points in the outing. And it was a much-needed defensive effort
for Boston, as they gave up a total of 225 combined points in their back-to-back
losses prior to Wednesday’s win. Now, over the course of the past week, the
Celtics have defeated both the Cavaliers and the Warriors, and they sit just two
games behind Cleveland for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. As for the
Nuggets (29-35), they’ve lost two of their last three games — all of which were
at home — and it’s been in large part because of their lack of defense. Denver
has now given up at least 105 points in 11 of their last 13 games. They are
still, however, sitting as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference standings,
but it’s not by much, as the Trail Blazers are just a half-game behind them,
making Friday’s contest a must-win for Denver if they wish to hold on to their
playoff spot. The Nuggets do enter Friday’s game with some personnel concerns,
as both Nikola Jokic and Danilo Gallinari are questionable to play with
illnesses. This will be the second matchup of the season between these two
teams, with the Nuggets winning the first matchup by 16 points.