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The Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets square off in seemingly a potential 2024 NBA Finals Preview. The two hot favorites to win it all have been clinical all year. The Celtics lead the league with a 48-13 record, while the Nuggets are 42-20, third in the West and only a game behind the top two seeds.
It's their second and final matchup this season. In the first game at TD Garden on Jan. 19, the Nuggets edged the Celtics 102-100, handing Boston its first loss at home. The Eastern Conference heavyweights had no response to Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic.
Murray finished with 35 points, eight rebounds and five assists on 15 of 21 shooting, while Jokic had 34 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists on 14 of 22 attempts. The Nuggets trailed by six at the end of halftime. However, they came out swinging in the second and got the job done.
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Jayson Tatum, who had 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists on 9 of 24 shots, missed the game-tying attempt over Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White also had 20-point games. Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown struggled like Tatum from the field, going 6 of 19 to score 13 points.
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Boston Celtics vs Denver Nuggets Injury Reports for Mar. 7
The decisive factor between the Celtics and Nuggets could be the injuries for each team. Here's what their injury reports look like ahead of Thursday's marquee matchup:
Boston Celtics injury report
The Celtics have five players on their injury report. Jaylen Brown headlines it with a sacroiliac strain. He's available to play. Neemis Queta is the other player on the report, out because of a right knee hyperextension. JD Davison, Drew Peterson and Jordan Walsh are the other absentees. They are on G-League duties.
Denver Nuggets injury report
The Nuggets only have one injury. Vlatko Cancar is out with a knee injury.
Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets both had streaks snapped in their previous outings
The Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets have created separation between them and other teams this season. On Tuesday, Boston had their 11-game winning streak by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs came back from a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit to win the game.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets also lost a close game to the Phoenix Suns. Denver surprisingly blew the chance at completing a comeback win. It trailed by 22 points and nearly won it, up 102-99 with 46 seconds left. However, the Suns took the game into overtime, dislodging the defending champs 15-5 to win 117-107.
A loss on Thursday would only be the second time the Celtics face consecutive defeats, while the Nuggets would achieve the unwanted record for the fifth time.
