The Nuggets stagger into Boston bloodied and bruised—but still swinging. After an all-time bench win against a very good Sixers team on Monday night, heroes Peyton Watson, Spencer Jones, and Jalen Pickett should have more help tonight as Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Tim Hardaway Jr. are all available to play.

It will take another legendary performance to rip one from the Celtics, though, who have won 8 out of their last 9 on the back of MVP-like production from Jaylen Brown. Tatum’s running mate is averaging nearly 30/6/5 on 50% shooting and has the Celtics rolling toward an improbable top seed in the East. A win tonight would give the Nuggets a 3-4 record on what could easily have been a season-derailing road trip.

The Basics

Who: Denver Nuggets (24-12) at Boston Celtics (23-12)

When: 5:00PM MST

Where: TD Garden, The Town

How to watch/listen: ESPN / Altitude TV / + / Radio

Rival Blog: Celtics Blog (yes, that’s actually what it’s called)

Injury Report | Nuggets: Jamal Murray—questionable (ankle); Aaron Gordon —questionable (hamstring); Christian Braun—questionable (ankle); Tim Hardaway Jr.—questionable (illness); Nikola Jokic—out (knee); Cameron Johnson—out (knee); Jonas Valanciunas—out (calf)

Celtics: Jayson Tatum—out (Achilles); Josh Minott—out (ankle)

The Three Things

The thing to watch for: Can Jalen Pickett continue to make a case to be the backup PG?

Pickett arrived on Monday night in Philadelphia. He controlled the game from start to finish, flashing elite game management, three-point shooting, and a herky-jerky YMCA-game reminiscent of Nuggets great Andre Miller. Many who have followed the team closely weren’t surprised to see another Calvin Booth find show why he’s worth a roster spot.

But a lingering question all season has been whether or not the Nuggets should use their remaining slot to bring in a “real” backup PG, a veteran perhaps, who’s more naturally attuned to the role than Bruce Brown. With Spencer Jones looking like a very serious candidate to fill that spot if the Nuggets can make the money work, Pickett’s ascendance is very much welcomed. Another strong showing tonight would go a long way toward solidifying the team’s confidence in his unique skill set.

The thing to remember: It’s a long season

It’s been an interesting week in the NBA. Oklahoma City has fallen off, now 6-6 in their last 12 as the Spurs three-game dismantling of the champs seems to have dampened the veneer of invincibility they started with. That same San Antonio team has also stumbled of late, and Houston has dropped several winnable games.

So despite all the injuries and missed game winners, the Nuggets are tied for 3rd in the Western Conference, still within reach of the first seed. Jokic seems to making good progress rehabbing his hyper-extended knee, too, meaning his absence may end up being shorter than initially feared.

A win tonight would cap off a miraculous turnaround since Nikola went down in Miami, but there’s no need to panic at this point, and we’ve learned a lot about just how deep this Denver Nuggets roster actually is.

The thing to bet: Maybe just sit this one out

Honestly, it’s so hard to predict anything about this game because so much is up in the air regarding availability, match ups, and variance. Why not be patient here, sit this one game out, and buy Bitcoin or something instead if you really just need to feel something.