After coming up short against the Warriors, the Celtics look to close a four-game west coast trip with a victory when they visit the Nuggets on Monday night.
Despite holding the East’s No. 1 seed, the Celtics (35-15) have struggled throughout the month of January. Boston enters the Pepsi Center having lost five of its last six games. In the 109-105 loss to Golden State, All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Al Horford combined for 52 points, but the Celtics could not overcome 49 points from All-Star guard Stephen Curry.
The Celtics will be without guard Marcus Smart again in Denver; he was sent home prior to the loss at Golden State and will miss an extended period of time due to hand lacerations sustained in a non-basketball injury.
MORE: Latest news on Marcus Smart's injury
Winners of three straight, the eighth-seeded Nuggets (26-23) look to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race. In a 91-89 win over the Mavericks, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic hit the go-ahead field goal and posted his second triple-double of the season with 11 points, 11 assists and 16 rebounds. Jokic is averaging a team-high 5.3 assists per game this season, good for second among all centers in the NBA. In addition to production from Jokic, Denver has benefited from the scoring of talented young guards Gary Harris (17.3 points per game) and Jamal Murray (16.3 points per game) this season.
Can the Celtics get back on track, or will the Nuggets make it four straight wins?
Celtics vs. Nuggets
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Pepsi Center, Denver
TV: NBA TV
Streaming: fuboTV (sign up for a 7-day free trial)
