Boston Celtics (38-19) at Denver Nuggets (36-22)
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
10:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #58 Road Game #31
TV: ESPN, NBCSB, Altitude Sports
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub,92.5 Altitude Sports Radio, Sirius XM
Ball Arena
The Celtics complete their 4 game Western road trip with a stop in Denver to take on the Nuggets. This is the second of 2 games between these two teams. The Nuggets won the first game 114-110 in Boston on January 7. The Celtics won the series 2-0 last season. The Celtics are
62-41 overall all time against the Denver Nuggets. They are 21-30 in games played in Denver.
The Nuggets addressed some weaknesses in the off season while keeping their core intact. They traded Michael Porter, Jr for Cam Johnson. They traded Dario Saric for Jonas Valanciunas to address their back up center need. They signed Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway, Jr as free agents and allowed Russell Westbrook to walk as a free agent. They didn’t have any picks in the 2025 draft. At the trade deadline, they traded Hunter Tyson to Brooklyn for a 2nd round pick to avoid the luxury tax.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 4.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 2 game ahead of 3rd place New York and 4th place Cleveland, 4.5 games ahead of 5th place Toronto, 6.5 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia and 7.5 games ahead of 7th place Orlando. The Celtics are 14-6 against Western Conference opponents. They are 20-10 on the road and 9-1 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 4 games.
The Nuggets are 4th in the West, 8 games behind first place OKC, 5.5 games behind 2nd place San Antonio, and tied with 3rd place Houston. They are 1 game ahead of the 5th place Lakers , and 6th place Minnesota and they are 3 games ahead of 7th place Phoenix. They are 15-11 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 15-11 at home and 4-6 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a loss in their last game.
The Celtics are playing in the final game of a 4 game Western road trip. They are 3-0 so far on the trip. They will return home for games against Brooklyn and Philadelphia before a game at Milwaukee. Then they are back home for games against Charlotte and Dallas before a tough 3 game road trip through Cleveland, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City. Then they host Washington, Phoenix and Golden State.
The Nuggets have just completed a 3 game road trip where they beat Portland and lost to the Warriors and Clippers. After this game they will play one game on the road at OKC and then one game at home against Minnesota and one game at home against Utah. Then they host the Lakers and Knicks befoe playing at OKC once again. Next is one game at home against Houston before games on the road against the Spurs and Lakers.
Jayson Tatum remains out for the Celtics as he rehabs from the Achilles injury. Jaylen Brown missed Tuesday’s game against the Suns but is available for this game. For the Nuggets, Tamar Bates (foot), Aaron Gordon (hamstring), Jalen Pickett (knee), and Peyton Watson (hamstring) are listed as out. Jamal Murray (hamstring) and Julian Strawther (toe) are both listed as probable. I’m guessing they are going to start the same 5 as they did the last 2 games.
Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Jamal Murray
SG: Baylor Scheierman vs Christian Braun
SF: Jaylen Brown vs Julian Strawther
PF: Sam Hauser vs Cam Johnson
C: Neemias Queta vs Nikola Jokic
Celtics Reserves
Payton Pritchard
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Amare Williams
Nikola Vucevic
Jordan Walsh
Delano Banton (10-day)
John Tonje (10-day)
2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Injuries/Out
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Jaylen Brown (knee) available
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Nuggets Reserves
Bruce Brown
Tim Hardaway, Jr
DaRon Holmes II
Spencer Jones
Zeke Nnaji
Jonas Valanciunas
2-Way Players
Tamar Bates
Curtis Jones
KJ Simpson
Injuries/Out
Tamar Bates (foot) out
Aaron Gordon (hamstring) out
Jalen Pickett (knee) out
Peyton Watson (hamstring) out
Julian Strawther (toe) probable
Jamal Murray (hamstring) probable
Head Coach
David Adelman
Key Matchups
Neemias Queta vs Nikola Jokic
Jokic is has won 3 MVP’s and is in the conversation for MVP every season for a reason. He is averaging 28.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, 10.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He is shooting 58.4% from the field and 42.1% from beyond the arc. Over his career, against the Celtics, he averaged 22.8 points, 10.5 rebounds 6.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He missed the first game this season in Boston. He is a handful and the Celtics need to try to slow him down by any means necessary.
Derrick White vs Jamal Murray
Murray is averaging 25.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He is shooting 48.3% from the field and 42.3% from beyond the arc. The Celtics will need to defend Murray very well both on the perimeter and in the paint as he can put up points in a hurry. In the first game against the Celtics this season, he finished with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 17 assists and 1 steal. He shot 44.4% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc.
Honorable Mention
Sam Hauser vs Cam Johnson
Johnson is averaging 11.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. He is shooting 46.1% from the field and 41.7% from beyond the arc. He didn’t play in the game against the Celtics in Boston in January. He is a good shooter and so the Celtics need to defend him, especially on the perimeter.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is the key to winning every game. The Celtics are 7th with a defensive rating of 112.2. The Nuggets have a defensive rating of 116.3, which is 22nd. The Celtics are 2nd in the league with an offensive rating of 120.1 but the Nuggets are 1st with an offensive rating of 120.9. The Nuggets are first in the league, shooting 39.4% from beyond the arc as a team so the Celtics have to especially defend the perimeter. They are capable of playing lock down defense but they have to commit to it and put in the effort to do so.
Rebound – Rebounding is another key to winning every game. The Celtics are 8th in the league, averaging 45.7 rebounds per game. The Nuggets are 22th in the league with 43.0 rebounds per game. Rebounding takes effort and the Celtics have to work harder to grab rebounds to limit the Nuggets second chance points and fast breaks. The Celtics are 28-8 when they have more or the same rebounds as their opponents. They are just 9-11 when they are out-rebounded. They have to put in the effort to best the Nuggets on the boards.
Effort and Energy for 48 Minutes – The Celtics must be the more aggressive team. They have to fight for loose balls, defend aggressively, be aggressive in driving to the basket, and just play harder than the Nuggets for the entire game. They have to be the team that wants it more and plays like it. They especially have to begin the game with energy and not allow the Nuggets to race out to a big lead and they can’t let up throughout the game. They also have to come out strong in the 3rd quarter and play hard until the final buzzer. As shown against the Lakers on Sunday, the team that is more aggressive and that plays harder usually gets the benefit of more calls from the refs as well.
Move the Ball Carefully – The Celtics need to keep moving the ball to find the open man and make it much harder to guard them. However, they have to be careful with their passes and they also need to be careful when they dribble the ball and not drive into a crowd and turn the ball over. The Celtics are usually very good at taking care of the ball but at times they lose focus and get sloppy. They can’t afford to do that against the Nuggets.
X-Factors
Mile High on the Road– It’s tough to win in Denver because of the altitude that the teams are playing at. Denver is called the Mile High City because it is 5,280 feet above sea level. Nuggets players are used to the altitude but visiting teams often struggle with playing there and often are fatigued before the end of the game. It is a very unique home court advantage. The Celtics also have to shake off the distractions of travel and playing in front of a hostile crowd.
Last Game Back to Back – Along with playing at altitude, the Celtics are playing on the second night of back to back games and in the 3rd game in 4 nights. They usually pay well in back to back games but they have a lot going against them in this one with the altitude and travel and it’s also the final game of a long road trip and usually those are the toughest games. The Celtics need to keep their focus and hopefully they won’t be fatigued from playing back to back and at the end of the trip.
Officiating – I know that I say this every game, but the officiating can always be an x-factor. Every crew calls the game differently whether they call every little ticky tack foul or they let a lot of contact go and let the teams play. We have already seen games where the officiating made a difference in the outcome, both good and bad. The Celtics have got to adjust to the way the game is being called and not let the calls affect their focus or their play.
