Celtics vs. Nuggets Preview: Two Championship Core Players Test Their Might; Westbrook Becomes the Focus

At 22:00 on October 6th, the NBA preseason match in the UAE continues, with the Denver Nuggets facing off against the Boston Celtics for their second game in three days.

After winning the championship, the Celtics did not make significant adjustments during the offseason. Tatum, White, and Hauser all successfully renewed their contracts, maintaining stability in the core lineup and main rotation. The addition of Lonnie Walker is a minor supplement, while the departures of Brissett and Mykhailiuk have had little impact.

The Nuggets underwent considerable changes after falling short in the Western Conference last season. Both veterans, Pope and Reggie Jackson, left the team. In response, the Nuggets signed Westbrook and Saric, while Murray, Jordan Jr., and Chandler all received satisfactory contract extensions to stay with the team.

The two teams previously met on the morning of October 5th, with the Celtics defeating the Nuggets 107-103.

In that game, both teams fielded most of their core players. Jokic, Murray, Tatum, Brown, and Holiday all started, but each team’s starters played only briefly before resting on the bench.

With extended rotations, both teams gave more playing time to fringe rotation players, young players, and bench players. Celtics’ backup guard Pritchard hit 6 out of 12 three-pointers for a game-high 21 points and added 6 assists. Tatum contributed 12 points in 19 minutes. Peterson, who signed a two-way contract with the Celtics for the second consecutive year, scored 10 points. White added 9 points, while defensive specialist Walsh, praised by Mazulla for his ability to defend positions one through five, also scored 9 points.

Although the Nuggets lost, their players had more evenly distributed playing time, with five players scoring in double digits. Jokic, playing 17 minutes, made 5 out of 7 shots for 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Porter scored 12 points on 5 out of 8 shooting. As the leader of the Nuggets’ second unit, Westbrook contributed 10 points and a game-high 8 assists. Strausser and Nnaji each added 11 and 10 points respectively.

As champions of the past two seasons, the Nuggets and Celtics are both highly competitive teams. Westbrook’s addition has increased the Nuggets’ attention by thirty percent. It’s hard to say which team is stronger, and the preseason is primarily a stage for rotation and young players to showcase themselves, as will be the case in this game.

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