Celtics News: Nuggets Will Be Without Key Player in Match Against Boston

A clash between the last two NBA champions will not feature the two clubs' preferred starting lineups.

Dec 3, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) reacts after a play as center Nikola Jokic (15) and forward Aaron Gordon (32) and Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) look on in the fourth quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

A clash between the last two NBA champions will not feature the two clubs' preferred starting lineups in their entirety.

When the 26-10 Boston Celtics, winners of the 2024 NBA title, head to Ball Arena to face off against the 20-14 Denver Nuggets, who won in 2023, at least one of those teams will be missing its ideal first five.

Per DNVR Sports' Nuggets X account, starting power forward Aaron Gordon was able to play through his lingering calf injury for parts of Denver's team practice on Monday, ahead of the Tuesday clash. He remains unavailable for Tuesday's matchup.

𝑵𝑬𝑾𝑺: Aaron Gordon (calf) participated in parts of Nuggets practice today

He won’t play tomorrow against the Celtics pic.twitter.com/9Q9eq8Vv9d

— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) January 6, 2025

The 6-foot-8 Arizona product is averaging 13.7 points on .523/.440/.754 shooting splits (that 44 percent 3-point conversion rate, on 2.9 tries, is by far his best such metric ever), 5.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 0.5 steals a night in his 17 healthy games (16 starts). He has been on the shelf since Denver's Christmas Day loss to the Phoenix Suns.

While Gordon is the only Nuggets starter who's shown up on the latest NBA injury report, Boston may also not be fielding its complete starting lineup on Tuesday.

Two-time All-Defensive Team guard Derrick White, who's making a legitimate case to be named to his first All-Star team with his play this season at age 30, has been downgraded to questionable against Denver with a reported non-COVID-19 illness. The 6-foot-4 vet is averaging a career-high 17.1 points on .452/.392/.822 shooting splits, 4.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.3 blocks and 0.9 steals a night in his 35 healthy bouts.

All-NBA forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, All-Defensive Team guard Jrue Holiday, and one-time All-Star center Kristaps Porzingis are all available for the reinging champs.

All three of the Celtics' two-way players — point guard JD Davison and combo forwards Drew Peterson and Anton Watson — are all away from the team and playing for its G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics. Rookie wing Baylor Scheierman is turning heads during his stint there, and remains in Maine on Tuesday. Another young player, Jordan Walsh, is questionable to play through a non-COVID-19 illness himself.

Elsewhere on the Nuggets side, guard Vlatko Cancar (left knee surgery rehabilitation), DaRon Holmes II (right Achilles tendon repair) and Spencer Jones (right abductor strain) are all out. Two-way player PJ Hall is with Denver's NBAGL squad, the Grand Rapids Gold.

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