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Their spirits were set, but the depleted Nuggets couldn’t hang on against the defending NBA champion Celtics Tuesday night at Ball Arena.
Playing without center Nikola Jokic, who was scratched before the game due to a non-COVID-related illness, Denver pushed Boston to its limits. When Christian Braun scored a 3-pointer to tie the game 93-93, he raised his fist and the crowd went crazy.
But the Celtics executed down the stretch and made the big shots while the Nuggets ran out of points – and perhaps gas – on their floor. Boston outscored the Nuggets 25-13 over the final 7 1/2 minutes to prevail with a 118-106 victory.
Tuesday marked the first time this season that the 2023 champion Nuggets faced the ’24 champion Celtics, who improved to 27-10.
The Nuggets (20-25) had six players score in double figures, led by Russell Westbrook’s 26-point game, but it wasn’t enough to counter powerful Boston, led by Jayson Tatum’s 29-point night .
Celtics generally float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. They’ve averaged 50.2 3-point attempts per game this season, the most in NBA history and six more than any other team in 2024-25. But they came out beating the Nuggets inside, Joe Frazier style.
The Jokic-less Nuggets found themselves trailing 37-25 after the first quarter, mainly because the Celtics beat them inside, outscoring the Nuggets 18-2 in the paint. This delighted the many noisy Boston fans in attendance.
Early on, Denver had no answer for Boston center Kristaps Porzingis, who scored 15 points and grabbed four rebounds in the quarter. Porzingis finished the game with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
But the Nuggets, sharing the ball well and outplaying the Celtics, came back strong, outscoring the Celtics 32-20 in the second half. When Peyton Watson scored a 3-pointer on an assist from Dario Saric to tie the game at 57, the Nuggets received a standing ovation.
Saric replaced Jokic in the starting lineup, playing his first game since November 23, 2024. He also started the three games Jokic missed in November when Jokic was absent for the birth of his second child. Saric remained scoreless with one rebound and four assists in 16 minutes.
Without the three-time MVP, the Nuggets had to fill a void the size of the Grand Canyon. Jokic is averaging 31.5 points, 13 rebounds and 9.7 assists while shooting a league-leading 47.3% from the 3-point line. Denver’s net rating is 25.8 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court than with him on the bench this season and he’s already had 14 triple-doubles.
“He wasn’t feeling well yesterday, and it only got worse today, which is unfortunate,” coach Michael Malone said in his pre-match press conference, when Jokic been designated as doubtful. “First of all, we have a game tonight. And second, it’s his Christmas vacation. … He’s trying to make it, and if he can’t make it, then we’ll rely on someone else.
Boston played without former University of Colorado star Derrick White, who is also dealing with an illness. White leads all Boston starters in games played this season, missing only his second game.
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