The red-hot Boston Celtics take on the Denver Nuggets at TD Garden on Wednesday, with the action tipping off at 7 PM ET.
The Celtics come into this game with eight wins in their last nine and are the hottest team in the NBA. They took down the Chicago Bulls 115-111 on Monday to improve to 23-12 on the season. Despite Jayson Tatum’s continued absence and all the roster turnover in the summer, the Celtics are somehow second in the East.
The Nuggets, meanwhile, enter this clash on the back of a remarkable 125-124 overtime win on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. They were without their entire starting five and a couple of key role players, but still emerged victorious and are fourth in the West with a 24-12 record.
Star guard Jamal Murray could suit up here against the Celtics. Murray is in the midst of the best season of his career, averaging 25.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game.
Speaking of players having the best season of their careers, Jaylen Brown has been simply outstanding for the Celtics. Brown is putting up 29.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game, and is now being talked about as a potential MVP candidate.
This is the first of two meetings between these teams this season. The Celtics swept the season series 2-0 in 2024-25.
Injury Report
Celtics
Ron Harper Jr.: Out (G League – Two-Way)
Josh Minott: Out (left ankle sprain)
Max Shulga: Out (G League – Two-Way)
Jayson Tatum: Out (right Achilles repair)
Amari Williams: Out (G League – Two-Way)
Nuggets
Tamar Bates: Out (left foot surgery)
Cam Johnson: Out (right knee bone bruise)
Nikola Jokic: Out (left knee bone bruise)
Jonas Valanciunas: Out (right calf strain)
Christian Braun: Questionable (left ankle sprain)
Aaron Gordon: Questionable (right hamstring strain)
Tim Hardaway Jr.: Questionable (illness management)
Jamal Murray: Questionable (left ankle sprain)
Why The Celtics Have The Advantage
The Celtics have been almost unstoppable lately because they are on an absolute tear offensively. With Brown leading the way, they have a 124.6 offensive rating over the last 10 games, the best in the NBA by a mile during that stretch. There is only one other team that’s even in the 120s, and that is the Charlotte Hornets at 120.4.
Unlike the Hornets, the Celtics have been pretty good defensively during this stretch as well. Their 112.5 defensive rating ranks eighth in the NBA. Thanks to their play on both ends, the Celtics have a ridiculous 12.0 net rating in these last 10 games. There just aren’t too many weaknesses that one can point to at the moment.
One might argue that the schedule hasn’t been the toughest, but the Celtics crushed a red-hot Los Angeles Clippers team 146-115 on Saturday. That’s the Clippers’ only loss in their last eight games.
The Celtics might also get a break here with a host of Nuggets players potentially missing out. The 76ers might have taken them lightly with all those absences last time out, but that is unlikely to happen here.
That Nuggets defense seems to be there for the picking, too, for this scorching offense. Their 122.1 defensive rating over these last 10 games ranks 29th in the NBA. There is no Nikola Jokic to make up for that on the other end, either. Jokic’s absence tilts this game heavily in the Celtics’ favor.
Why The Nuggets Have The Advantage
The Nuggets were expected to collapse when Jokic went down against the Miami Heat on Dec. 29, but they have gone 2-2 without him. They very nearly went 3-1, but blew a double-digit second-half lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. This is a team that has managed to be extremely competitive, even with some of the big names being out.
As for how they won those two games, it was in two completely different ways. The Nuggets held the Toronto Raptors to 37.0% shooting from the field in their 106-103 win on Dec. 31, 2025. They also outrebounded the Raptors 47-33. Then against the 76ers, the Nuggets shot 53.1% from the field and 48.6% from beyond the arc.
One was a tough, gritty win, while the other was all about them shooting lights out. If they can replicate their play on either end against the Celtics, they would have a chance. It’s much more likely that they’ll have success offensively, especially if the likes of Murray and Tim Hardaway Jr. return.
X-Factors
Anfernee Simons was pretty much a no-show for the Celtics for a big chunk of this season. Simons averaged 10.8 points on 39.7% shooting from the field from Nov. 26 to Dec. 26, but has come to life lately. Simons has put up 17.8 points on 46.0% shooting from the field over his last five games. All the focus has been on the likes of Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard, but he has also been a big reason why this Celtics team has been on a roll lately.
Peyton Watson had to step up offensively with the Nuggets being ravaged by injuries, and he has. Watson hit the 20-point mark four times in his first 30 games of the season, and he has done it four games in a row since. He is averaging 23.0 points on 48.5% shooting from the field over his last four, and the Nuggets will need more of the same here if they are to get another unlikely win.
Celtics vs. Nuggets Prediction
If the Nuggets are as undermanned as they were against the 76ers, it’d be hard to give them much of a chance here. Even if we do assume that the big guns return, you’d still lean to the Celtics because of just how well they’re operating on both ends of the court. Brown has been sensational, and you’d back him to lead them to another win.
Prediction: Celtics 125, Nuggets 110
