Streaking Celtics Wrap Up West Coast Road Trip in Denver

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Feb 21, 2010

Streaking Celtics Wrap Up West Coast Road Trip in Denver Believe it or not, the Celtics are on the verge of wrapping up a perfect West Coast road trip.

The C's are unbeaten in their first three games west of the Mississippi after the All-Star break, and the only thing standing in their way of a fourth win is the second-best team in the Western Conference — the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets are coming off an embarrassing double-digit loss at Washington on Friday night.

Should the C's win Sunday, it will be the team's longest winning streak since they captured 11 in a row back in late November and into December.

When and Where

Sunday, Feb. 21, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colo.

Records

Celtics (35-18, 1st place in Atlantic Division)
Nuggets (36-19, 1st place in Northwest Division)

Head to Head

Historically, these two teams have been very evenly matched — in each of the last four seasons, the Celtics and Nuggets have met twice and split 1-1. Last season, the Nuggets drew first blood in Boston, winning 94-85 on Nov. 14, but the Celtics got the last laugh. On Feb. 23, the Celtics scored a blowout victory at the Pepsi Center, winning 114-76 despite Kevin Garnett's absence. We'll see how these two teams do when both are relatively healthy.

Skinny

Remember the Nuggets team that made it all the way to the Western Conference finals last spring? Well, that team is still intact. With the toughness of Nene and Kenyon Martin up front, the veteran leadership of Chauncey Billups, and the incredible talent of Carmelo Anthony, these Nuggets are primed to make another run this year.

Starting Lineups

Celtics
Point Guard: Rajon Rondo
Shooting Guard: Ray Allen
Small Forward: Paul Pierce
Power Forward: Kevin Garnett
Center: Kendrick Perkins

Nuggets

Point Guard: Chauncey Billups
Shooting Guard: Arron Affalo
Small Forward: Carmelo Anthony
Power Forward: Kenyon Martin
Center: Nene Hilario

Stat Sheet

Celtics
The Celtics are a perfect 6-0 this season against the Northwest Division.

They have allowed 93.2 points per game, lowest in the NBA. The Charlotte Bobcats rank second in that category, at 94.3 points per game.

Kendrick Perkins
is shooting 61.0 percent, the best in the NBA.

Kevin Garnett shot 7-for-9 against Portland on Friday night. He is now 17-for-32 on the Celtics' current West Coast road trip.

Rajon Rondo had 10 points and 11 assists on Friday night for his 25th double-double of the season.

Paul Pierce
has averaged 26.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists against the Nuggets in his career.

Ray Allen has averaged 25.1 points against them on 43.8 percent three-point shooting.

Nuggets

The Nuggets are 23-5 at home this season.

They have 471 total steals, ranking them second in the NBA behind the Golden State Warriors (510).

Carmelo Anthony has 29.3 points per game, third-most in the NBA behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

Nene Hilario is shooting 59.0 from the floor, third in the NBA behind Perkins and Dwight Howard.

Chauncey Billups is shooting 89.7 percent from the free-throw line, the fifth-best mark in the NBA.

Kenyon Martin leads the Nuggets in offensive (121), defensive (357) and total rebounds (478) this season.

Ty Lawson is averaging 9.3 points and 3.4 assists per game off the bench in his rookie season.

Black and Blue

Celtics
Tony Allen
played 22 minutes on Friday night despite a minor ankle injury. He shot 3-for-7 from the floor and finished with seven points.

Nate Robinson is expected to miss Sunday's game with flu-like symptoms.

Nuggets
Chris Andersen has a strained lower back but is probable to play.

This Date in Celtics History

In 1952, the Celtics and the Fort Wayne Pistons tipped off a regular-season game at the Boston Garden at midnight, following an Ice Follies performance put on at the Boston Garden that night. The C's prevailed in the so-called "Milkman's Special" game, winning 88-67 behind 24 points from Bob Cousy.

Overheard

"It was a good, mature win because it was an emotional game. But this team doesn’t get that high for games. They’re excited, but you know they came in here and they were ready to play again. That’s a sign of a more mature team."
–Celtics coach Doc Rivers, in Saturday's Boston Globe, on his team's mindset as they dismantled the Trail Blazers on Friday night.

Press Box

Celtics
Ray Allen fueled a win over the Blazers.

Kevin Garnett's health is still a key issue.

The C's are older… but are they better?

Nuggets

The Wizards were golden against the Nuggets.

George Karl battles cancer, in more ways than one.

The Nuggets stood pat at the trading deadline.

NBA
Kevin Durant and the Thunder upstaged Tracy McGrady in his Knicks debut.

Taj Gibson led the Bulls to victory.

John Salmons is loving Milwaukee already.

Outlook

The Celtics have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that, last month notwithstanding, they are able to win games on the West Coast. They've won in Sacramento, L.A. and decisively in Portland. This has been a crucial week to test the Celtics' resolve, and so far, they've passed the test with flying colors. But Denver will be a good challenge for the Celtics — this is a tough, physical basketball team that excels on its home court. The Celtics had better be prepared to stand their ground against the aggressive Nuggets.

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