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,

The Boston Celtics head to the Ball Arena to face the Denver Nuggets in a non-conference matchup. The Celtics are 26-10, which puts them in second place in the Eastern Conference. The Nuggets are 20-14, which puts them in fourth place in the Western Conference.

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,