Denver Nuggets vs Boston Celtics Starting Lineups and Depth Charts for Oct.
The Denver Nuggets will meet the Boston Celtics on Sunday in a highly anticipated clash between two of the NBA’s title favorites for the 2024-25 season. The Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi will be the venue for this exciting matchup and there will be plenty of star power on display from both teams.
The Celtics and Nuggets faced off in their opening preseason game on Friday at the Etihad Arena with Boston edging the contest 107-103.
Three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic will be the player to watch on Sunday. The Serbian center has been one of the NBA’s most dominant players over the last four seasons and will be looking for some valuable minutes as he prepares for the regular season, which begins on October 22.
Former MVP Russell Westbrook and Celtics All-Stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will be some of the other high-profile names on the court.
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Denver Nuggets vs. Boston Celtics: Starting lineups and depth chart
Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla has a plethora of talent to choose from and will likely rotate his players to provide everyone on the roster some minutes. Fans will get a chance to see Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in action but fringe players like Payton Pritchard, Xavier Tillman and Drew Peterson should see some time on the court as well after strong showings in the opening preseason game.
Kristaps Porzingis is the only injury (ankle) for the Celtics coming into Sunday’s encounter.
The Celtics will likely go with a starting five of Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford.
Celtics depth chart:
| G | Derrick White | Payton Pritchard | JD Davinson | Baylor Scheierman |
| G | Jrue Holiday | Jaden Springer | Lonnie Walker | Ron Harper Jr. |
| F | Jaylen Brown | Jordan Walsh | Drew Peterson | Tristan Enaruna |
| F | Jayson Tatum | Sam Hauser | Xavier Tillman Sr. | |
| C | Al Horford | Neemias Queta | Luke Kornet | Dmytro Skapintsev |
The Denver Nuggets should put out a strong lineup as they go in search of their first preseason win. Jokic was excellent over the 17 minutes he played on Friday and will be the focal point of the attack once again.
Peyton Watson, DaRon Holmes II and Jalen Picket are all set to miss Sunday’s game due to injury.
Expect to see Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic take the court for the Nuggets.
Nuggets depth chart:
| G | Jamal Murray | Russell Westbrook | Jahmir Young | |
| G | Christian Braun | Julian Strawther | ||
| F | Michael Porter Jr. | Jaylin Williams | Gabe McGlothan | Hunter Tyson |
| F | Aaron Gordon | Zeke Nnaji | Dario Saric | Vlatko Cancar |
| C | Nikola Jokic | DeAndre Jordan | PJ Hall |
Denver Nuggets vs. Boston Celtics: Players to watch
Nikola Jokic will be the headline name at the Etihad Arena with fans flocking to the venue to see the superstar. The 6-foot-11 center led the Denver Nuggets to their first-ever NBA championship in 2023 and will be key to the team’s chances of success next season. Last season, Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and nine assists and was named the league MVP.
Jayson Tatum is coming off a memorable season, where he guided the Boston Celtics to the franchise’s 18th championship. The five-time All-Star finished sixth in the MVP voting last year after recording 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.
