Game 53 Preview: Celtics at Nuggets

Will Paul Pierce need to repeat his heroics
for another victory over the Nuggets?

The Celtics (28-24) will begin the unofficial second half of the season tonight in Denver against the Nuggets (33-21).

These two squared off a little over a week ago in what was perhaps the most exciting game of the season for the Celtics. Boston needed triple-overtime to defeat the Nuggets, 118-114.

Denver limped into the break, losing their last three games in high-scoring fashion.

The Celtics will receive some much-needed depth with the addition of Terrence Williams, but it remains to be seen if he will be available for tonight's game.

Nothing will be easy over the next week for the Celtics, which may be a season-defining defining trip for the Celtics. If Boston lays an egg tonight, it could determine the way Danny Ainge approaches Thursday's trade deadline.

With that said, tonight's game is pretty big.

Here's a preview:

Projected lineups:

Celtics:
Courtney Lee
Avery Bradley
Paul Pierce
Brandon Bass
Kevin Garnett

Nuggets:
Ty Lawson
Andre Iguodala*
Danilo Galinari*
Kenneth Faried
Kosta Koufos

* TBD (both listed as probable)

Keys to the game:

1. Hard in the paint: Yes, that was definitely a Waka Flocka Flame reference. In all seriousness, the Celtics must do all they can to clog up the paint. Boston allowed Denver to score 62 points in the paint in their last meeting, which is simply inexcusable. The Celtics aren't exactly stacked with big men, so they need to do all they can to limit easy buckets around the rim.

2. On the road again: The Celtics are 8-15 on the road, which is the worst record out of the top eight teams in the East. While the Celtics recent success -- 8-1 over their last nine -- without Rajon Rondo has been highly praised, it should be noted that they have not played any tough road games. Their only road win was a 99-95 victory in Toronto over the Raptors. Not to mention, Denver has the third-best home record in the NBA. A victory over the West's fifth-best team on the first night of a back-to-back would be the perfect way to jumpstart this five-game road trip for the Celtics.