Surging Celtics travel to Denver to face Nikola Jokic, Nuggets / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports Credit Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets just had one streak end and now they're hoping to end another.

Denver lost at Cleveland on Friday night, ending a seven-game road winning streak, and now head home to open a four-game set, starting with the Boston Celtics on Sunday night.

The Nuggets are trying to avoid a third loss in a row on their home court and keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race. In addition, they will try to avenge a loss in Boston on Feb. 11. It was Denver's last road loss before falling in overtime to the Cavaliers.

The Celtics are in the midst of a four-game road trip that started with a win at Golden State and continued with a rout of Sacramento on Friday night. Boston has been one of the hottest teams in the NBA since the end of January, going 18-3 to move within a game of Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division.

The Celtics have found some success with different lineups. One of the more productive offensive groups pairs Jayson Tatum with four bench players. One of the biggest beneficiaries of Tatum's skill set is Payton Pritchard, who has scored 10 and 14 points, respectively, in the first two games of the road trip.

He hit all four of his 3-point attempts Friday night.

"It's big having a guy that can space the floor and knock down those shots," said Tatum. "And he just makes us more dynamic, and it builds confidence. There's nothing better than seeing the ball go through the net, especially as a shooter. So happy for him and keep it going."

The bench will be a challenge for the Nuggets, but they have a bolstered reserve unit that has played well since Bryn Forbes and DeMarcus Cousins have been in the rotation.

Still, the team revolves around Nikola Jokic, who is making a serious bid to repeat as the league MVP. He is averaging 26.1 points, which ranks ninth in the NBA, and his 13.7 rebounds per game are second. Throw in his 8.1 assists average per game, and he has solid credentials for the NBA's top award.

His play has helped Denver win 14 of its last 19 games to tread water in the Western Conference. The Nuggets entered Saturday a game ahead of Minnesota, which holds the top play-in spot, but 2 1/2 games behind Utah for fourth and a homecourt advantage in the first round.

With 11 games left, Denver could land anywhere in that range, but it is not consuming coach Michael Malone.

"Control what you can control," he said. "We're not allowing teams ahead of us or behind us to determine how we approach each game."

It is still undetermined whether the Nuggets' two injured stars, Jamal Murray (ACL) and Michael Porter Jr. (back), will be back before the end of the regular season. Both got some work in with the G-League and are progressing, but Denver won't rush either one back, especially Murray, who hasn't played since last April.

"He still has a lot more hurdles to get through," Malone said.

--Field Level Media

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