6-4! When going up against the Denver Nuggets, the Boston Celtics squad has held a slight advantage. Unfortunately, given that the ‘men in green’ lost their last 3 matchups against Nikola Jokic and co, that advantage could slip away soon. Furthermore, with both teams currently occupying the top 5 seeds in their respective conferences, the competition would be intense. Therefore, when entering the matchup at Denver’s Ball Arena, Jayson Tatum and Co may be looking to give their best. Fortunately, they have one advantage that may very well put their losing streak against the Nuggets to an end.

According to the Boston Celtics Injury Report, NO PLAYERS are listed with an ailment! This means that every Celtics player has received a clean bill of health. Each is expected to show up at the Ball Arena in a few hours to take on Nikola Jokic and Co. This update would certainly bring a smile to the faces of the franchise’s fans, especially since, less than a week ago, the respective injuries of Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis would have ignited worry.

During the Boston Celtics’ matchup against the Toronto Raptors a week ago, Jaylen Brown’s performance had reached a low point. He had only scored 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists in 25 minutes. The reason for this lapse became apparent after observers saw the small forward icing his right shoulder during the 3rd quarter. Later, the Celtics revealed that Jaylen Brown had sustained a strain on his right shoulder. The severity of the ailment caused the team to list Brown as ‘Questionable’ before they declared him ‘OUT’ against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Houston Rockets. Fortunately, he returned to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now, being absent from the report, it is apparent that the team is not sidelining the small forward again.

Meanwhile, Kristaps Porzingis sustained an ankle injury during his team’s Christmas Day matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. While limited updates came to light regarding his condition, head coach Joe Mazzulla had assured the media that Porzingis was doing alright. Despite this, he still missed out on four games before returning during the game against the Houston Rockets.

As for the Denver Nuggets, the Western Conference team is far from receiving a clean bill of health. After all, they have not 1, but 4 players listed on the report as ‘OUT’. Fortunately, one player not on the list is Nikola Jokic. This means that the Serbian’s trouble with his right wrist soreness seems to be behind him, at least for now. Vlatko Čančar last played for the Denver Nuggets a little after mid-November. He continues to recover from his Left Knee Surgery Rehabilitation and will miss his 22nd consecutive game. DaRon Holmes II, the 22nd overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, hasn’t played a single game this season. This is because he sustained an Achilles tear during his Summer League debut. With no update on his recovery, the timeline for his return remains uncertain.

Aaron Gordon has missed the last 6 games after his right calf strain re-emerged. While updates reveal that the 29-year-old participated slightly in Monday’s practice, and is trending in the right direction, he is still not ready to return.

Meanwhile, Spencer Jones’ right thigh strain will keep ‘OUT’ from the Celtics matchup. Fortunately, given his position on the depth chart, Jones’ absence may not affect the Nuggets rotation.

In light of these updates, only one team will have to adjust its starting lineup.

What will the starting lineup and depth chart for the Celtics-Nuggets game look like?

With the Boston Celtics Injury Report being ‘CLEAN’, injuries will not affect the team rotation. In light of this, the starting lineup for the ‘men in green’ is expected to look something like this:

To cover for Aaron Gordon, Russell Westbrook, and Peyton Watson can see a bump in their minutes during the upcoming matchup. With this update, the starting lineup for the Denver Nuggets may look something like this:

The Boston Celtics or the Denver Nuggets? Who will you be rooting for during the upcoming matchup? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.