Their spirit was willing but the depleted Nuggets couldn’t quite hang with the defending NBA champions Celtics Tuesday night at Ball Arena. Playing without center Nikola Jokic, who was scratched before the game with a non-COVID illness,

Tonight will be the first meeting between these two teams this season. Last year, the Nuggets swept the Celtics, and they have their sights set on a repeat of history. The Nuggets have five players listed on the injury report: Aaron Gordon,

This might not be the Nuggets behemoth of recent seasons. But they are still a dangerous opponent the Celtics will need to bring their best against.