The Celtics won’t need to worry about facing one of the NBA’s best players Tuesday night in Denver.

An hour before tipoff at Ball Arena, three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic was ruled out due to illness, leaving a crater in the Nuggets’ lineup.

Jokic ranks in the top three in the NBA in points per game (second), assists per game (second), rebounds per game (third) and 3-point shooting percentage (first). The superstar center is the league’s most uniquely talented offensive player, and Denver has been an entirely different team without him this season.

The Nuggets entered Tuesday with a 124.2 offensive rating with Jokic on the court, per NBA.com, which would be the best of any NBA team by a wide margin. When he sits, their offensive rating tumbles to 97.3, eight points worse than the last-place Washington Wizards.

Denver’s net rating is 25.8 points worse with Jokic on the court, plummeting from 11.0 to a minus-14.8. No NBA club has posted a net rating that low over a full season since the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats.

In two games against the Celtics last season, Jokic put up 34 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists and 32-12-11. He entered Tuesday averaging 36.5 points, 16.5 rebounds, 11.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game over his last four contests.

The Nuggets also will be without starting forward Aaron Gordon, who was ruled out with a calf injury.

The Celtics won’t be at full strength, either. Starting guard Derrick White and reserve forward Jordan Walsh both are unavailable due to illness.

Tuesday’s game is the finale of a four-game Western Conference road trip for Boston, which won in Minnesota and Houston before losing in Oklahoma City on Sunday.