The Boston Celtics became the first team in the NBA to clinch a playoff spot following their 127-112 win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.

The Celtics, who are tied for the fourth-best net rating in NBA history at 11.3, are now 16 games ahead of the sixth seed.

The Celtics are on pace for the franchise's first 60-win season since 2008-09 and have won 15 out of their last 17 games. 

The Celtics finished the night with a 9.5 game lead in the Eastern Conference. 

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)