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The Boston Celtics will play the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday evening in what will be both sides' second game of the MGM Resorts NBA Summer League.
In their respective opening contests, the Boston Celtics came away significantly happier than the Denver Nuggets, who succumbed to a 20-point blowout at the hands of the Miami Heat. Their side have been hit by COVID-19 protocols, which the C's will look to take advantage of early on in this fixture.
Match Details
Fixture - Boston Celtics vs Denver Nuggets | NBA Las Vegas Summer League 2021.
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Date & Time - Tuesday, August 10th, 7:00 PM ET (Wednesday, August 11th, 4:30 AM IST).
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Venue - Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV.
Boston Celtics Preview
Although it wasn't a vintage performance from the Boston Celtics' cast of role players against the Atlanta Hawks, they were able to get the job done down the stretch. Payton Pritchard and Romeo Langford hit clutch threes to finish off the Hawks after what had been a shaky start to the Celtics' Summer League schedule.
The Boston Celtics came into Las Vegas with one of the most experienced starting fives, with Pritchard, Langford and Aaron Nesmith all having played significant minutes in this year's playoffs against the Brooklyn Nets. However, combined with Carsen Edwards, they shot at an average of 38.5% from the field while Nesmith and Edwards made just three of 16 three-point attempts.
Also Check out: Boston Celtics Complete NBA Summer League Schedule
Yam Madar and Juhann Begarin provided solid minutes off the bench and Boston Celtics fans will be excited to see what they can do in the upcoming fixtures. Meanwhile, two-way player Sam Hauser will also be looking to find his shooting touch against the Denver Nuggets as he finished with five points and three rebounds, shooting at just 28% from the field.
Key Player - Payton Pritchard
Payton Pritchard impressed the most in the Boston Celtics' win over the Hawks, connecting with 46.7% of 15 three-ball attempts. The former first-round pick finished with 23 points, five assists, two steals and no turnovers and will be looking to cement his place as the C's backup shooting guard for the upcoming season.
Pritchard played almost every game in the 2020-21 campaign (66) and provided 7.7 points per game off 19 minutes. He has already proven himself to be an electric sharpshooter from deep, made 41% of threes in the NBA, but what the Boston Celtics coaching staff will want to see in the Summer League are his abilities as a distributor.
Boston Celtics Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Carsen Edwards l Shooting Guard - Payton Pritchard l Small Forward - Aaron Nesmith l Power Forward - Dedric Lawson l Center - Romeo Langford.
Denver Nuggets Preview
Denver Nuggets forward Bol Bol, former Phoenix Suns guard Davon Reed and Nigeria's small forward Caleb Agada have been tasked with leading the Western Conference side in this year's Summer League. The trio all played over 28 minutes in the Nuggets' loss to the Miami Heat and combined for 57 of the team's 77 points. It was a telling contribution, especially with nine of the team's players entering health and safety protocols prior to their blowout defeat.
The Nuggets had to sign two players, Josh Gray and Daniel Hamilton, just so they would have enough to compete with. However, with three of their young stars unable to feature, including first-round pick Nah'Shon 'Bones' Hyland, expectations weren't high as the Heat ran out an early 30-12 lead.
Turnovers were an issue throughout for the Denver Nuggets and will continue to be as the team gels. However, the team fought hard and can hope for a closer matchup in this contest.
Also Check out: Denver Nuggets Complete NBA Summer League Schedule
Key Player - Bol Bol
Although he turned the ball over six times against Miami, a lot of attention will be on power forward Bol Bol as he seeks to strengthen his position in the Denver Nuggets rotation for next season. Amid injuries, the 21-year-old has hardly featured for the franchise over the past two years and will see the Summer League as an opportunity to showcase his talents and get some consistent minutes under his belt.
Against the Heat he was everywhere, scoring 21 points, grabbing five rebounds, two blocks and having a staggering 14 attempts from the charity stripe - of which he scored 11. Since he will continue to be one of the Denver Nuggets' go-to guys on offense, he can certainly make a name for himself this summer.
Denver Nuggets Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Davon Reed l Shooting Guard - Caleb Agada l Small Forward - Zylan Cheatham l Power Forward - Bol Bol l Center - Giorgi Bezhanishvili.
Celtics vs Nuggets Match Prediction
With their Summer League roster thrown into disarray, the Denver Nuggets could be on the wrong side of the result once again against the Boston Celtics. The C's have a lot of first-team experience in their starting lineup who can all score consistently and proved that in their opener.
Nevertheless, Caleb Agada was mightily impressive in the Denver Nuggets backcourt, connecting with 40% of threes, while Daniel Hamilton provided 11 boards off the bench. Both will be hoping to continue their form but will ultimately not be enough as the Boston Celtics should come away with another win.
Where to watch the Celtics vs Nuggets?
The game will be televised nationally in the U.S. on ESPNU and will also be available on NBA League Pass for international viewers.
Also Check out: Complete NBA Summer league Schedule 2021
Nuggets Fan? Check out the latest Denver Nuggets depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.
