Jamal Murray missed his fourth consecutive game with a sprained left ankle and swollen right knee on Friday night.

"He's just not ready to go out there and compete at the level that we need him to," said Michael Malone.

Malone hinted that Murray would not be healthy in time for the Nuggets' game on Sunday.

Malone added that he expects Murray to return before the playoffs. 

Wednesday night's matchup between the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets averaged 1.44 million viewers on ESPN.

That number is down 2% from last year's equivalent window. 

The Clippers and Sixers game earlier in the night averaged 1.23 million viewers.

Tuesday night's matchup between the Lakers and Bucks averaged 1.43 million viewers on TNT.

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They discuss the Celtics’ high-profile week, how the second apron will shape the next few seasons, teambuilding and much more.

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Thursday night's matchup between the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets averaged 1.25 million viewers on TNT.

The number is down 1% from last year's Kings-Knicks game in the equivalent window.

TNT's coverage was blacked out in Boston and exclusive in Denver.

The Heat-Mavericks game earlier in the night averaged 1.15 million viewers, down 16% from last year's Warriors-Grizzlies matchup. 

The Denver Nuggets defeated the Boston Celtics on Thursday by a final score of 115-109 in a possible Finals preview. While the Celtics are clear favorites in the Eastern Conference, the Nuggets are also favorites in a more crowded Western Conference.

The Nuggets also defeated the Celtics by a final score of 102-100 in their previous meeting this season on January 19th.

The below list shows the two regular season meetings of the two teams who eventually meet in The Finals. During the timeframe of the past 12 seasons dating back to 2012, the championship team went 2-0 five times, went 1-1 five times, and went 0-2 two times.

2012, Heat 1-1

• Mar. 25, 2012: Thunder 103, Heat 87 (Oklahoma City)

• Apr 4, 2012: Heat 98, Thunder 93 (Miami

2013, Heat 2-0

• Nov. 29, 2012: Heat 105, Spurs 100 (Miami)

• Mar. 31, 2013: Heat 88, Spurs 86 (San Antonio)

2014, Spurs 1-1

• Jan. 26, 2014: Heat 113, Spurs 101 (Miami)

• Mar. 6, 2014: Spurs 111, Heat 87 (San Antonio)

2015, Warriors 1-1

• Jan. 9, 2015: Warriors 112, Cavaliers 94 (Golden State)

• Feb. 26, 2015: Cavaliers 110, Warriors 99 (Cleveland)

2016, Cavaliers 0-2

• Dec. 25, 2015: Warriors 89, Cavaliers 83 (Golden State)

• Jan. 18, 2016: Warriors 132, Cavaliers 98 (Cleveland)

2017, Warriors 1-1

• Dec. 25, 2016: Cavaliers 109, Warriors 108 (Cleveland)

• Jan. 16, 2017: Warriors 126, Cavaliers 91 (Golden State)

2018, Warriors 2-0

• Dec. 25, 2017: Warriors 99, Cavaliers 92 (Golden State)

• Jan. 15, 2018: Warriors 118, Cavaliers 108 (Cleveland)

2019, Raptors 2-0

• Nov. 29, 2018: Raptors 131, Warriors 128 (Toronto)

• Dec. 12, 2018: Raptors 113, Warriors 93 (Golden State)

2020, Lakers 2-0

• Nov. 8, 2019: Lakers 95, Heat 80 (Los Angeles)

• Dec. 13, 2019: Lakers 113, Heat 110 (Miami)

2021, Bucks 0-2

• Feb. 10, 2021: Suns 125, Bucks 124 (Phoenix)

• Apr. 19, 2021: Suns 128, Bucks 127 (Milwaukee)

2022, Warriors 1-1

• Dec. 17, 2021: Warriors 111, Celtics 107 (Boston)

• Mar. 16, 2022: Celtics 110, Warriors 88 (Golden State)

2023, Nuggets 2-0

• Dec. 30, 2022: Nuggets 124, Heat 119 (Denver)

• Feb. 13, 2023: Nuggets 112, 108 (Miami)

The Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics will play two preseason games in Abu Dhabi, the NBA announced on Wednesday.

The games will take place on October 4 and October 6.

"There is incredible momentum around basketball in the UAE and across the Middle East, and we believe these games as well as our year-round grassroots development and fan engagement efforts will be a catalyst for the continued growth of the game in the region," said NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum in a statement.

Jamal Murray left Thursday's win by the Denver Nuggets over the Miami Heat with a sprained right ankle. 

In the second quarter, Murray appeared to land awkwardly on Aaron Gordon’s foot under the basket after dishing an assist to Nikola Jokic.

Murray walked off the floor under his own power but with a heavy limp.

“I talked to him right at the half, and he thought he was gonna be able to try to maybe give it a go — see how it warmed up,” Michael Malone said, not ruling out Murray’s availability Saturday at the Lakers. “And it just wasn’t responding the way he had hoped, so I think it was a smart decision not to have him out there. Just trying to be as careful as possible at this point of the season.”

Murray has been dealing with shin splints, categorized officially as bilateral tibia inflammation, in recent weeks.