Denver Nuggets (28-14, third in the Western Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (32-9, first in the Eastern Conference)
Boston; Friday, 7:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Boston will try to keep its 20-game home win streak intact when the Celtics play Denver.
The Celtics are 20-0 in home games. Boston leads the league with 36.6 defensive rebounds per game led by Jayson Tatum averaging 7.5.
The Nuggets are 11-10 in road games. Denver is the top team in the Western Conference with 54.8 points per game in the paint led by Nikola Jokic averaging 15.9.
The Celtics are shooting 47.8% from the field this season, 1.1 percentage points higher than the 46.7% the Nuggets allow to opponents. The Nuggets average 5.4 more points per game (116.3) than the Celtics give up (110.9).
TOP PERFORMERS: Tatum is scoring 27.1 points per game with 8.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists for the Celtics. Jaylen Brown is averaging 22.1 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 54.0% over the last 10 games for Boston.
Michael Porter Jr. is averaging 16.4 points and 7.1 rebounds for the Nuggets. Jokic is averaging 22.9 points and 10.7 rebounds while shooting 76.8% over the last 10 games for Denver.
LAST 10 GAMES: Celtics: 7-3, averaging 122.8 points, 49.2 rebounds, 24.9 assists, 5.6 steals and 6.9 blocks per game while shooting 46.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.1 points per game.
Nuggets: 6-4, averaging 120.1 points, 41.3 rebounds, 30.1 assists, 7.0 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 53.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.2 points.
INJURIES: Celtics: Kristaps Porzingis: out (knee), Derrick White: out (ankle).
Nuggets: Vlatko Cancar: out (knee), Julian Strawther: out (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press
