Celtics Vs Nuggets: Jokic’s 30 and Denver’s depth propel 103-84 victory in Denver
In a matchup billed as celtics vs nuggets on Wednesday night at Ball Arena, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Boston Celtics 103-84. The outcome shifted immediate standings pressure in the Western Conference and closed a four-game trip for Boston with a decisive loss.
Final score, location and game parameters
The game, Regular Season Game #58 and Road Game #31 for Boston, began at 10: 00 PM ET on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at Ball Arena in Denver. The Nuggets closed at 103 points to Boston’s 84, a margin built in the third and fourth quarters that left the Celtics unable to recover.
Nikola Jokić, Tim Hardaway Jr. and in-game turning points
Nikola Jokić finished with 30 points and 12 rebounds despite a difficult shooting night, going 11 of 28 from the field and 4 of 13 from three. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 14 points. Jokić triggered an 11-0 run to end the third quarter that gave Denver a 10-point cushion heading into the fourth, and Jonas Valančiūnas’ tip-in midway through the fourth extended the lead to 17, prompting Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla to remove his starters.
Jamal Murray’s absence and Denver rotations
Denver played most of the contest without guard Jamal Murray after he left the game following 7 minutes, 51 seconds of action because of an illness and did not return. Murray had been listed as probable on the pregame injury list, and his early exit forced Denver to rely more heavily on its bench and interior presence to sustain the win.
Boston lineup notes: Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Derrick White
Jaylen Brown returned to Boston’s lineup after missing Tuesday night’s game in Phoenix with a right knee contusion and scored 23 points. Jayson Tatum remained out as he rehabs from an Achilles injury. Colorado native Derrick White scored 18 of his 20 points in the second quarter, a burst that kept Boston competitive through halftime before Denver pulled away.
Standings context and team records
Boston entered the game with a 38-19 record and multiple hot streak indicators: they were 9-1 in their last 10 games, had won four straight games per preseason tracking, and were 14-6 against Western Conference opponents. The Celtics had been 20-10 on the road and were completing a Western road swing that had left them 3-0 so far before this game’s result produced a 3-1 trip finish.
Denver entered at 36-22 and sits in a crowded Western race: listed fourth in the West, the Nuggets trailed first-place Oklahoma City by eight games, were 5. 5 games behind second-place San Antonio and tied with third-place Houston. Denver was noted as 15-11 at home and 15-11 against Eastern Conference opponents; the team had gone 4-6 in its last 10 prior to this win and had just returned from a three-game road trip in which it beat Portland and lost to Golden State and the Clippers.
Franchise history, season series and roster moves
This was the second of two meetings this season between the clubs; Denver won the first meeting 114-110 in Boston on January 7. Historically the Celtics hold a 62-41 all-time advantage over the Nuggets and are 21-30 in games played in Denver. Offseason and roster moves cited for Denver included trades that sent Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson and Dario Šarić for Jonas Valančiūnas, signings of Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr., and letting Russell Westbrook leave in free agency. The Nuggets also traded Hunter Tyson to Brooklyn for a second-round pick at the trade deadline to manage luxury-tax concerns.
Injuries, game-day listings and broadcast details
Boston listed Jayson Tatum out while he rehabs from an Achilles injury. For Denver, Tamar Bates (foot), Aaron Gordon (hamstring), Jalen Pickett (knee) and Peyton Watson (hamstring) were listed out before the game; Jamal Murray (hamstring) and Julian Strawther (toe) were listed as probable. Probable starting matchups posted prior to tip included Derrick White vs. Jamal Murray at point guard and Baylor Scheierman vs. Christian Braun on the two-guard line. Celtics reserves on the pregame listing included Payton Pritchard, Hugo Gonzalez, Luka Garza, Amare Williams, Nikola Vucevic, Jordan Walsh and Delano Banton. Television coverage for the night included, NBCSB and Altitude Sports, with radio on 98. 5 Sports Hub, 92. 5 Altitude Sports Radio and Sirius XM.
Denver honored former coach Doug Moe with a tribute video at the first timeout; Moe died on February 17 at age 87 after a tenure that included 432 wins across 10 seasons, a trip to the 1985 Western Conference finals and two Midwest Division titles. The Nuggets are scheduled to play at Oklahoma City on Friday night following this game.
What makes this notable is how Denver absorbed an early loss of a ball-handling starter and still built control through interior production and a late third-quarter run; that combination both neutralized Boston’s second-quarter spike and provided enough cushion for Denver to finish a decisive home victory in thin air that Boston’s rotation could not overcome.
Coverage of the celtics vs nuggets matchup underscores a matchup where rotations, health and late-game execution combined to produce a clean final margin and shifting near-term implications in both conferences.
