Denver Nuggets vs Boston Celtics Prediction: Combined starting 5 featuring Nikola Jokic and Jayson Tatum

The Denver Nuggets will visit TD Garden to face the Boston Celtics on February 16th. The game will be a battle between two teams with big expectations but with an up-and-down season so far. Denver (15-12) sits seventh in the NBA's Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics rank fifth in the East with a 13-13 record in the 2020-21 NBA season.

Both teams have extraordinary young players who are the leaders of the franchise's. In this report, we will create a combined lineup featuring the best players on both teams.

Denver Nuggets vs. Boston Celtics Prediction: Combined starting 5

Both teams are coming off very different outcomes from their games played on Sunday. The Boston Celtics fell 104-91 to the Washington Wizards after a poor performance on the road. Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets protected their home court against the reigning NBA champions, the LA Lakers.

This matchup will be the first between Denver and Boston since December 2019.

Neither of these teams has a great defensive record right now. Denver ranks 16th in Defensive Rating, while Boston ranks 15th. However, the Boston Celtics rank 17th in Offensive Rating, and the Denver Nuggets sit in fifth place with their Nikola Jokic-led offense (116.4 points per 100 possessions).

Denver have won three consecutive games and have six wins in their last 10 matches. On the other hand, Boston are on a downward trend and have lost seven of their last 10 games.

Moreover, the Celtics have lost their last two games too. Boston's recent losses came against the Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards, teams that rank 14th and 15th in the East right now.

Without further ado, let's create a combined starting five featuring the best players from the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics.

Guard - Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets)

Though his status was questionable before the game against the LA Lakers, Jamal Murray played and led all scorers with 25 points in Denver's triumph against LeBron James and the Lakers.

Murray is performing at a similar level to last year's regular-season and is an essential piece for the Denver Nuggets. He is averaging 18.5 points, 4.4 assists, and four rebounds per game in the 2020-21 NBA season.

Coincidentally, Murray put up his regular-season career-high in points against the Boston Celtics on November 5th, 2018. He notched up 48 points at home and guided the Denver Nuggets to a 115-107 win.

Guard - Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)

Svi Mykhailiuk of the Detroit Pistons defends Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics during the second quarter at TD Garden on February 12, 2021, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Jaylen Brown is currently leading the Boston Celtics in scoring and has been tremendous for the entire 2020-21 NBA season so far.

Brown is having a breakthrough campaign and should easily earn his first All-Star Game selection with his outstanding level of play in the current season. He is putting up 26 points per game (career-high) with 51/41/75 shooting splits (all career highs).

Brown is also averaging 5.7 rebounds per game and a career-high 3.4 assists per night.

Forward - Michael Porter Jr. (Denver Nuggets)

Michael Porter Jr. and JaMychal Green of the Denver Nuggets.

Michael Porter Jr. has continued his progression and is already the third-best scorer on the Denver Nuggets' roster.

Though he has had tough shooting nights in the last two games (2/13 from the 3P line), Porter remains an important piece of Denver's offense and has regained his place in Michael Malone's starting lineup.

He is averaging 15 points, and six rebounds per game with solid shooting splits of 49/40/79.

Forward - Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)

Jayson Tatum is definitely turning into an NBA superstar, and the Boston Celtics' forward seems to get better year after year. Tatum is posting tremendous numbers for the Boston Celtics during the 2020-21 NBA season and is the franchise's hope for the future, alongside Jaylen Brown.

Though his 2020-21 NBA campaign has been solid, Tatum is coming off his worst game of the season with six points against the Wizards. The last time he did not reach 10 points in a regular-season game was on July 31st, 2020, against the Milwaukee Bucks, when Tatum scored just five points.

Bradley Beal on Jayson Tatum’s off shooting performance: "I really don’t know. It was just one of those nights for him. We all have them. I had one last week…He’s a star. He let us off the hook, for sure.”Tatum had only 6 points on 3-for-14 shooting against the Wizards today.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) February 14, 2021

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Overall. Tatum is averaging 25.6 points, 7 rebounds, and 4.5 rebounds per game (all career highs). Moreover, his shooting splits are 45/41/87.

Center - Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)

Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets puts up a shot over Marc Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first quarter at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.

Nikola Jokic is one of the top candidates for the 2020-21 NBA MVP award, as he is putting up tremendous numbers and has been the Denver Nuggets' engine on offense.

Jokic is having a historic season for a center. The Serbian is averaging 8.7 assists per game, which would rank first in NBA history among centers in a single season. He is putting up 26.5 points and 11 rebounds per game and has six Triple-Doubles so far.

Jokic is posting career highs in points per game, rebounds per game, assists per game, and free-throw percentage in the current season. He is also having a solid shooting split with 56/38/86.