• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Celtics hope to get Garnett back vs. Nuggets

Feb 19, 2008 - 3:03 PM Boston (41-9) at Denver (32-20) 9:00 pm EST

DENVER (Ticker) - The Boston Celtics already have the league's best record and may get an additional boost to start the second half of the season.

When the Celtics visit the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night, they may welcome back All-Star forward Kevin Garnett, who sat out the last nine games with an abdominal strain.

On Sunday, Garnett said he was back to his "old self" again and expected to play Tuesday night.

The return of Garnett cannot come soon enough for Boston, which won its fifth consecutive game with a 111-103 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

However, injuries have been mounting for the Celtics. Aside from Garnett's prolonged absence, center Kendrick Perkins has missed the last three games with a shoulder injury and rookie forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis suffered a strained right quadriceps against the Knicks.

That could proved costly during this grueling Western Conference swing that features five games in seven days, although Boston is 16-0 against the West this season.

Denver had its three-game winning streak snapped with Wednesday's 109-98 loss at Orlando, where it has not won since March 10, 1992.

Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points against the Magic and is averaging 30.1 points in his last seven games since returning from a sprained ankle.

Despite being 12 games over .500, the Nuggets are tied with Golden State and Houston for seventh place in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.