Celtics 109 - 115 Nuggets summary, stats, scores and highlights | NBA
With the Celtics knocking the door Aaron Gordon came through with the play of the game off the Nikola Jokic miss. His tip slam from his hip brought the house down and spurred the Nuggets to the victory as Gordon finished with 16 and 9 rebounds.
The Nuggets are now on the heels of Minnesota who will be without Karl-Anthony Towns for a month, and Oklahoma City who are hanging on to the top seed despite their youth. The Celtics lost back to back games for the first time since November, but they are still well ahead of the pack in the East.
I'm not sure if Murray was trying to throw it off the backboard, but Aaron Gordon was ready for it and he slammed it home. While that was impressive enough, he had more to come.
Peyton Watson introduced himself to the nation on Thursday night. He wasn't a part of the Nuggets last title run, but he's looking more and more like someone who could help Denver get back to the Finals.
While Jokic and Murray deserve their headlines it was Aaron Gordon who took over late in the game. This was one of his tamer highlights, but there were plenty more.
The Nuggets ended the first two quarters with buzzer beaters, and Jokic's bank shot put Denver up 8 at halftime.
Jamal Murray didn't shoot the ball particularly well but he was his usual spectacular self, dazzling the Celtics off the dribble and finishing in traffic all night. He had 19, 6 and 8 assists and came up with some big buckets late in the game.
Jamal Murray hit the first quarter buzzer beater to give the Nuggets the lead heading into the second quarter and Denver never trailed again.
The Nuggets bench came to play against the Celtics, who everyone says has the better second unit that Denver's second unit. Peyton Watson and company had something to say about that. Watson had 11 of the 28 bench points in the win.
The Nuggets and the Celtics have two of the best starting fives in the league, but they had no answer to Nikola Jokic. Not many teams have the ability to keep the Serbian quiet, but in this potential Final preview Jokic gave us a glimpse of who might have the advantage if these two teams meet in June.
The Denver Nuggets completed the two game season sweep on the Boston Celtics in a potential NBA Final preview from the Mile High City. Nikola Jokic had a 32 point triple-double in the 115-109 win as the Nuggets improved to 7-1 since the All-Star break.
IT'S ALL OVER!!! THE DENVER NUGGETS GET BACK IN THE WIN COLUMN AS THE CELTICS LOSE BACK TO BACK GAMES FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE NOVEMBER.
KCP hits both FTs after the foul on White.
White misses the three ball and the Nuggets will get it after the ball bounces out of bounds.
Jokic with the spin in the lane and he lobs it over the defense for Gordon on the alley oop!
Timeout Celtics with 19 seconds to go.
Holiday with a second straight three ball, this time from the corner and it's a 2 point game with 1:00 to go.
Jokic backs down Porzingis and turns for the finish off the glass.
Holiday was left all alone on the perimeter and he pulls the trigger for three!
Tatum to the line after the foul on Jokic and he hits one of two FTs.
AARON GORDON WITH THE ONE HANDED TIP SLAM OFF THE JOKIC MISS TO SET THIS BALL ARENA ABLAZE!
Porzingis off the dribble and he hits the floater over Jokic.
Holiday goes to the rack and lays it up off the glass.
Timeout Nuggets with 3:35 to go in the 4th.
Jokic hits the leaner in the lane over Holiday.
Brown with the lay up and one! Jokic got T'd up for protesting a call on the other end! Tatum makes the technical FT and Brown hits his and one attempt.
Jokic dumps it down to Gordon on the baseline for the jam.
Porzingis to the line after the foul on MPJ and he hits one of two FTs.
Timeout Celtics with 5:07 left in the 4th.
Murray threw up the alley oop to Gordon who slammed it after the lob hit off the back board!
Porzingis hits the short jumper over Gordon in the lane.
Watson flies to the iron and throws it down with a two handed jam!
Jokic to the line after the foul on Pritchard and he hits both FTs.
Holiday beats the Nuggets down the floor and he lays it up and in.
Timeout Nuggets with 8:04 to go in the 4th.
Brown strokes a three ball off the kickout from Brown!
Braun to the line after the foul on Tatum and he hits one of two FTs.
Brown to the line after the foul on Nnaji but he makes just one of the two.
Murray crossing up the Celtics defense and he hits the off balanced runner from inside the FT line.
Timeout Celtics with under 10:00 to go.
Pick and roll with Murray who finds Nnaji for the double clutch lay up down the lane.
Horford to the line after the foul on Holiday and he hits both FTs.
Tatum with a baseline drive and lay up off the reverse.
Murray called for a foul on the Nuggets bench got T'd up. Tatum hits the technical FT.
Murray streaks to the basket and slams down a reverse jam.
We are headed to the fourth quarter with the Nuggets leading by 10!
Jokic finds KCP and he hits the three ball in the corner!
Brown going back to the iron and he lays it up and in in traffic.
Watson answers back with a three ball from the wing!
Hauser in the corner and he drills the three ball off the kick out from White.
Watson on a catch and shoot from the baseline and he sinks it.
Brown pull up from the elbow and he's got 32, 10 in the quarter.
Jackson hits the runner down the left side of the lane.
Brown to the line after the foul on Gordon but he misses both. He's got 30+ tonight but he's missed 6 FTs.
Porzingis with a block on MPJ on one end and that leads to a FT jumper from Brown.
KCP with the pull up from the elbow and he hits it to stretch the lead to 9.
Murray to the line after the foul on Tatum and he hits both FTs.
Jokic taking it into the body of Porzingis and he hits the baby hook with ease.
Porzingis drills the three ball from the wing, his third of the quarter!
Gordon goes baseline and finishes with a tough lay up underneath.
Porter to the rack off the bounce pass from KCP.
Timeout Celtics with 6:44 to go in the 3rd quarter.
Gordon cleaning up the boards and he slams it on the put back.
Tatum puts his head down and lays it up and in. Is that going to get him started in the second half?
KCP with the steal and score off the bad pass from Tatum.
Brown to the line after the foul on KCP and he hits both FTs.
Jokic with a fade away hook shot, if that exisits, from right outside the lane.
Brown was cherry picking and Tatum found him for an easy lay up.
Jokic backs down Porzingis and lays it up and in underneath.
Brown weaving to the iron for the lay up off the dribble.
Back to back three balls from Porzingis and the Celtics take a quick timeout not even a minute into the second half!
Porzingis starts the third quarter with a deep three ball!
WE ARE BACK IN DENVER FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!
Jokic ended the first half with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists and is well on his way to another triple double.
Brown wasn't just doing it from the perimeter. He got into the paint with the big boys and banged bodies to get his 22 points and 8 rebounds.
Murray's got 13 on the night and gave the Nuggets the lead at the end of the first quarter with this buzzer beater. Denver has been holding on to the lead ever since.
Joker has been having his way against the undersized Celtics. Porzingis hasn't shown the ability to stop him so far and that could be a big factor in the second half.
Tatum was pretty quiet in the first half, but Porzingis had 10 points and 7 rebounds playing second fiddle to Brown.
Jaylen Brown came into the night on the injury report, dealing with a bad back but he seemed just fine through two quarters. He carried the C's for most of the first half.
Both teams came into the night looking to get back into the win column after streak breaking losses in their last games. We knew we were in for a show tonight, and so far these two teams haven't disappointed.
WE ARE HEADED TO THE HALFTIME BREAK FROM DENVER!!!
Jokic goes glass with the mid range jumper and beats the buzzer to send the Nuggets to the break up by eight!
Jokic to the line after the foul on White and he hits both FTs.
Porzingis gets T'd up and Murray hits the FT.
Porzingis gets the mid range jumper to fall.
Murray with a picture perfect pass to Gordon who throws down the alley oop.
Brown puts his head down and finishes at the rim.
KCP with the steal and Murray finds MPJ for the slam in transition.
Jokic shakes off a few defenders down low and he sees his leaner fall.
Brown stretching his legs on the break and he gets the lay up to fall over Gordon.
White running the break and he takes it right to the rim for the finger roll.
Jokic to the line after the foul on Holiday and he hits both FTs.
Timeout Celtics with 3:36 to go in the first half.
Brown to the after the foul on KCP and he hits one of two FTs.
Tatum over the top for Porzingis who throws down the alley oop.
Jokic cuts to the bucket and Jackson found him for the lay up down the lane.
MPJ sends Porzingis to the line and he hits both FTs.
Jokic with the put back off his own miss and gets fouled by Tatum! FT is good.
Timeout Nuggets with under 7:00 to go in the first half.
White with the runner and he will go to the line after getting fouled by Watson.
Braun into the lane and he pivots, spins and hits the floater in the lane.
Brown pulls the trigger and he hits the three ball over Braun! He's got 10 in the quarter!
Watson fires a jumper in the lane and the fader falls.
Brown pulls down another offensive board and he puts it back up and in.
Murray hangs it high off the glass with the tough lay in over Tillman.
Brown to the line and after the Murray foul and he hits one of two FTs.
Murray pull the trigger from outside the lane and hits the short jumper.
Brown fighting on the boards and he puts it up and in on the fourth attempt, and gets the foul! FT is no good.
Murray pulls up at the top of the key and hits the step back.
Nnaji to the line after the foul on White, and he hits both FTs.
Braun to the line after the foul on Brown and he hits both FTs.
Brown with a short pull up from outside the lane to start the second quarter.
Murray beats the buzzer with a deep three ball on the run!
We are headed to the second quarter with the Nuggets up by 2.
Jokic with the catch off the entry pass and he turns and finishes in the paint.
Tillman working down low and he takes Watson to the rack and finishes off the glass.
Braun with the slam on the break off the feed from Jokic at the top of the key.
Jokic hits the technical FT after the defensive three seconds on BOS.
Hauser in the corner off the kick out from Holiday and he drills the three ball!
The other Holiday running the break and he finishes off the glass in transition.
Watson drills the elbow jumper off the bench for Denver.
Tatum rattles home a deep ball from the wing!
Jackson turns on the jets and finishes with a finger roll.
Porzingis had Jackson on his back and posted him up before laying it in.
Tatum pulls up for a deep two at the top of the key.
Jokic to the line after the foul on White and he hits both FTs.
Brown heads to the line after the foul on Gordon and he hits one of two FTs.
MPJ drills a three ball off the handoff from Jokic! Great start to this game.
Timeout with 6:43 to go in the 1st Quarter.
Brown back to the bucket and he gets the lay in to fall. His back is looking just fine after coming into the night nursing a back injury.
Murray gets the floater to fall off the dish from Jokic on the perimeter.
Brown floats one up and in looking for the foul and got T'd up for his protest
FT from Murray is good.
Jokic on the spin in the lane that sends Porzingis flying and he finishes with the slam!
Murray lost it and White lobbed it up for Brown on the alley oop.
Holiday takes Murray off the dribble and lays it up and in off the glass.
Jokic finds Gordon on the cut to the iron for the big jam.
Porzingis catches the entry pass and turns for the short jumper in the lane.
KCP gets to the FT line and hits the mid range J.
Murray threw it away and that sprung White on the break for the transition lay up.
Tatum drains the three ball with the shot clock winding down for the first Celtics points of the night.
Porter Jr. slices to the bucket and Gordon found him with a bounce pass down the lane for a lay up.
WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM BALL ARENA!!!
Both of these teams are considered to be the best in the league, and both of them boast the best starting fives in the NBA. As always Mike Malone is going with Murray, KCP, MPJ Gordon, and Jokic. Expect fireworks out of the gate tonight in Denver.
Jaylen Brown is in the starting five for the Celtics tonight after coming into the night questionable with a back injury. That means Joe Mazzulla will have his star starting five ready for a massive matchup in Denver tonight.
NBA Standings
Taking a look at the standings in both conferences we see both of these teams at the top of the table. The Celtics have a comfortable lead in the East as the rest of the pack struggled to keep pace over the last month and a half. The way they have been playing they should ease to a one seed in the East, and they can increase their chances by winning games like the one they have tonight against the Nuggets. Denver climbed up the standings with their run after the All-Star Break and they come into tonight just a game back of the Timberwolves and the Thunder.
Tatum doesn't mind sharing the spotlight
It’s hard to keep focused for 82 straight games, and as good as the Celtics have been this season they dropped their energy level for 12 minutes and the Cavs punished them on Tuesday night. Tonight we can Jayson Tatum to bring the noise in a game that many are saying could be a preview to the NBA Championship. Both and Jaylen Brown, who is listed as questionable, could be MVP candidates, but they have coexisted better than a lot of star duos we have seen over the last few years. They are sacrificing personal stats hoping for championship glory, and this season is looking like it’s going to be their best shot at hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Murray, Nuggets aiming for top seed
Jamal Murray company know how important home court advantage is going to be in the playoffs. They had the one seed last year, and used home court to ease past teams, losing only one playoff game at home during their title run. The Nuggets can smell blood at the top of the table after their great restart following the break. They have some younger, unproven teams in front of them, and with their experience in these types of games you would expect them to make a real run for the one seed in the West. Murray has been one of the catalysts since the All-Star Break, and will be sure to want to get back on track after Denver's sixth home loss all season.
Nuggets last game
The Nuggets were on a six game win streak when they hosted the Phoenix Suns who went into Denver without Devin Booker. That meant it was going to be up to Kevin Durant to keep pace with Jamal Murray who had a team high 28 points and Nikola Jokic who posted 25, 16 and 5 assists. The Nuggets went cold in the second quarter, scoring just six points in an 8 minute stretch. They went to halftime down 15, but came roaring back in the second half thanks to another dreadful 4th quarter from Phoenix. KD and the rest of the Suns went cold and that allowed the Nuggets to take the lead and hold it until the final moments of the fourth quarter, but when it mattered most, KD hit a game tying three that pushed the game to OT. Once in the extra session KD scored 8 of the Suns 15 points and handed the Nuggets their first loss since before the All-Star Break.
Celtics last game
The Celtics started their road trip with a devastating loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night. They are in control of the game for the first three quarters and well into the final quarter in Cleveland thanks to Jayson Tatum’s 26 points and 13 rebounds and Kristaps Porzingis’ 24, but the Celtics went cold in the 4th quarter and lost their 16 point lead they had heading into the final 12 minutes. Dean Wade came off the bench and provided a spark plug for a Cavs team without Donovan Mitchell. He scored 21 of his 23 in the final quarter to outscore the entire Celtics team in the last 12 minutes and lead his team to a much needed win while snapping Boston’s 11 game win streak.
We are live from Denver
Hello everyone and welcome to Ball Arena where the Nuggets are flirting with the top of the Western Conference after winning 11 of their last 12 games. They are finally looking like the team that eased through the regular season on route to wrapping up the one seed last season, and now find themselves knocking on the door of the top seed again in their title defense season. The Boston Celtics have been the pace setters in the NBA all season as they have breezed past the rest of the teams in an admittedly weaker conference. They will have their work cut out for them during this five game road swing in which they have already lost a game and still have to play the Nuggets tonight and the Suns next game. Both teams are hoping to get back in the win column in a matchup between two of the league’s best teams.
Celtics vs. Nuggets live
Two of the best teams are set for a heavyweight bout from the Mile High City tonight. Both the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics are coming off of their first losses since before the All-Star break, and both teams will try to get back on track tonight from Ball Arena. AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of this potential NBA Final preview from Denver.