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Denver Nuggets (0-0) vs Boston Celtics (0-0 )
Friday, October 4, 2024
12:00 PM ET
Preseason Game #1
TV: NBA-TV, NBCSB
Radio: Altitude Sports Radio 950AM
Etihad Arena
Abu Dhabi
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Jrue Holiday vs Jamal Murray
Shooting Guard 
vs
Derrick White vs Christian Braun
Small Forward 
vs
Jaylen Brown vs Michael Porter, Jr
Power Forward 
vs
Jayson Tatum vs Aaron Gordon
Center
vs
Al Horford vs Nikola Jokic
Celtics ReservesSam Hauser
Luke Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Baylor Scheierman
Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Jordan Walsh
2 Way PlayersJD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson
Training Camp ContractsTristan Enaruna
Ron Harper, Jr
Dmytro Skapintsev
Lonnie Walker IV
Injuries/OutKristaps Porzingis (ankle) out
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Nuggets Reserves Vlatko Cancar
DeAndre Jordan
Zeke Nnaji
Dario Saric
Julian Strawther
Hunter Tyson
Russell Westbrook
2 Way PlayersTrey Alexander
PJ Hall
Spencer Jones
Training Camp Contracts Gabe McGlothan
Jaylin Williams
Jahmir Young
Out/Injuries DaRon Holmes II (Achilles) out
Peyton Watson (hamstring) out
Head Coach Michael Malone
Game Notes The Celtics begin with 2 preseason games against the Denver Nuggets in Abu Dhabi. The last 2 NBA Champions will begin play after a short off season for the Celtics, who played into June before winning their 18th Championship. The Nuggets had a slightly longer off season as they lost in 7 games to the Timberwolves, finishing the season on May 19. Both teams had players in the Olympics with Jokic and Murray of the Denver Nuggets and Tatum, Holiday and White of the Celtics participating in the Games.
The Celtics lost the series to the Nuggets 0-2 last season, losing 109-115 in Denver and 100-102 in Boston. The Celtics return last year's team mostly intact, losing just Svi Mykhailiuk and Oshae Brissett. They have added Baylor Scheierman and Anton Walker through the draft and Lonnie Walker IV as a free agent on a training camp contract.
The Nuggets lost their starting two guard, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Orlando Magic in free agency. They also lost Reggie Jackson and Justin Holiday. They have added a couple of very key players in Russell Westbrook and Dario Saric along with DaRon Holmes II. Westbrook is a terrible volume shooter and can be a defensive liability but he brings energy and is an explosive playmaker. They expect Saric to be a difference maker off the bench for them.
The biggest question for the Nuggets is who will inherit the starting shooting guard spot with Caldwell-Pope gone. Most believe that Christian Braun will fill that spot but Malone may go with Julian Strawther, or even Russell Westbrook. We will likely see Michael Malone experimenting with that position in these preseason games unless he has already made that decision.
The biggest question for the Celtics will be the center rotation with Kristaps Porzingis out until December. Xavier Tillman has been getting praise in training camp. Luke Kornet was very consistent in his minutes last season and Neemias Queta brings energy to the spot. I expect Al Horford to get the start in this game but Joe Mazzulla will likely be watching each of those players to see which ones earn more playing time.
Kristaps Porzingis is the only player on the injury list for the Celtics. He is out after having ankle surgery after the playoffs and is expected to be out until at least December. For the Nuggets, Peyton Watson is out with a hamstring injury. The injury is not serious but he is expected to miss at least the first two preseason matchups. DaRon Holmes is out after tearing his Achilles tendon in Summer League.
Key Matchups vs
Al Horford vs Nikola Jokic
Jokic is has won back to back MVP's and is in the conversation for MVP every season for a reason. He averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists last season. He shot 58.3% from the field and 35.9% from beyond the arc. Against the Celtics last season, he averaged 33 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists while shooting 61% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. In January, when these teams played, Malone had Jokic defend Jrue Holiday and he held him to 3-8 shooting, so Jokic is a problem for the Celtics on both ends of the court.
vs
Jrue Holiday vs Jamal Murray
Murray averaged 21.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists last season. He shot 48.1% from the field and 42.5% from beyond the arc. In January against the Celtics, he put up 35 points on 71% shooting to go with 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Although Murray struggled in the playoffs and the Olympics, he is expected to be healthy and ready to play in this game.
Honorable MentionJaylen Brown vs Michael Porter, Jr.
Porter averaged 16.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He shot 48.1% from the field and 39.7% from beyond the arc. This should be a good matchup and it is Jaylen Brown's first opportunity to show his added motivation from the snubs this summer.
Keys to the Game
Defense - Whether it is preseason, regular season or post season, defense will always be the key to winning games. Last season, the Celtics were first in the league with a defensive rating of 108.2 and the Nuggets were 5th with a defensive rating of 110.9. The Celtics need to make defense a priority once again this season if they want to repeat as champions.
Rebounding - Rebounding is another key to winning every game. Last season, the Celtics were 1st in the league, averaging 46.3 rebounds per game. The Nuggets were 2nd in the league with 44.4rebounds 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 can't allow the Nuggets to outwork them on the boards.
Effort and Energy for 48 Minutes - I know it is just preseason, but the Celtics must be aggressive. 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 play like it. They have to come out strong to start and play hard until the final buzzer.
3 Point Shooting - The Celtics relied on shooting threes last season. They were first in the league, taking 43.5 three pointers per game. They were also 1st in the league, making 16.5 threes a game. Michael Malone has said that he wants his team to shoot more threes this season. Last season they were 10th in 3 point percentage with 37.4% but they were 30th in 3 point attempts with just 31.2 per game. We may see a lot of 3s taken in this game.
X-Factors Rust - This is the first preseason game for both teams. Both teams have 4 of their starters from last season in the line ups that I am assuming will start. Both have been practicing since September 27. Will they both show rust to begin the game or will they have shaken off the rest in training camp?
On the Road - This game takes playing on the road to extremes. Will the players have jet lag or travel fatigue? The Celtics were 27-14 on the road last season while the Nuggets were 24-17. The Nuggets have one of the best home court advantages as they play at high altitude. In this game no team has the advantage.
Officiating - I know that I say this every game, but the officiating can always be an x-factor even in the preseason and even in Abu Dhabi. 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. The refs are in their preseason also, so it's hard to know how they will call this one. 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.
Topic: Celtics (0-0) at Nuggets (0-0) Preseason Game #1 10/4/24 (Read 10830 times)