Celtics Vs Nuggets: Nuggets Win 103-84 as Nikola Jokić Scores 30 in Denver
The Denver Nuggets beat the Boston Celtics 103-84 on February 25, 2026, at Ball Arena in the teams’ regular‑season meeting. Celtics Vs Nuggets mattered for both clubs’ positioning and momentum: Boston had entered the final game of a four‑game Western road trip 3-0, while Denver sought a boost after a recent loss.
Celtics Vs Nuggets — Final score, Nikola Jokić and immediate impact
Nikola Jokić finished with 30 points as Denver closed the night with a 103-84 victory over Boston. The loss ended Boston’s four‑game winning streak that had been active before this meeting; the Celtics had gone 3-0 on the road trip entering the contest. The January 7 meeting between the two clubs had gone to Denver in a different direction: the Nuggets won that game 114-110 in Boston earlier in the season.
Ball Arena: schedule, broadcast and game identifiers
Game #58 of the regular season kicked off at 10: 00 PM ET on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, with Ball Arena hosting the matchup labeled as Road Game #31 for Boston. National and regional coverage for the night listed, NBCSB and Altitude Sports on television, while radio options included 98. 5 Sports Hub, 92. 5 Altitude Sports Radio and Sirius XM.
Boston Celtics: record, standings and road trip sequence
The Celtics entered the night at 38-19 overall and sitting second in the Eastern Conference, 4. 5 games behind Detroit. Boston held two‑game cushions over both New York and Cleveland, a 4. 5‑game edge over Toronto, 6. 5 over Philadelphia and 7. 5 over Orlando. The team owned a 14-6 mark against Western Conference opponents and a 20-10 road record. The club had been 9-1 over its last 10 games and had won four straight before this meeting. Following the Denver contest, the Celtics were scheduled to return home for games against Brooklyn and Philadelphia, then travel to Milwaukee, come home to face Charlotte and Dallas, and later embark on a three‑game road trip through Cleveland, San Antonio and Oklahoma City, before hosting Washington, Phoenix and Golden State.
Denver Nuggets: standings, recent form and offseason moves
The Nuggets came into the game listed at 36-22 and fourth in the Western Conference, eight games behind first‑place OKC and 5. 5 games behind San Antonio, while tied with Houston for the third spot. Denver sat one game clear of the fifth‑place Lakers and sixth‑place Minnesota, and three games ahead of seventh‑place Phoenix. The club was 15-11 against Eastern Conference teams, 15-11 at home, and had a 4-6 record in its last 10 games prior to this matchup; it also had just completed a three‑game road trip in which it beat Portland and lost to Golden State and the Clippers.
In the offseason Denver executed a series of moves designed to shore up weaknesses while keeping its core intact: Michael Porter, Jr. was traded for Cam Johnson; Dario Šarić was dealt for Jonas Valančiūnas to address a backup center need; Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway, Jr. were signed in free agency; and Russell Westbrook departed in free agency. The franchise entered the 2025 draft without any picks. At the trade deadline, Denver traded Hunter Tyson to Brooklyn for a second‑round pick to avoid the luxury tax.
Injuries, availability and roster notes: Jayson Tatum, Jamal Murray and projected lineups
Boston was without Jayson Tatum, who remained out rehabbing an Achilles injury. Jaylen Brown, who had missed Tuesday’s game against Phoenix, was available for the Denver contest. For Denver, Tamar Bates (foot), Aaron Gordon (hamstring), Jalen Pickett (knee) and Peyton Watson (hamstring) were listed as out. Jamal Murray (hamstring) and Julian Strawther (toe) were both listed as probable. The preview leading into the game projected that Denver would likely start the same five players used in the previous two games.
Probable starting matchups listed prior to tip included Derrick White matched against Jamal Murray at point guard and Baylor Scheierman facing Christian Braun at shooting guard. The Celtics’ reserve rotation identified Payton Pritchard, Hugo Gonzalez, Luka Garza, Amare Williams, Nikola Vucevic, Jordan Walsh and Delano Banton (10- as shown in the roster list) as bench pieces.
What makes this notable is the timing: a Denver victory in the final game of Boston’s Western swing not only gave the Nuggets a lift in the standings but also immediately altered the rhythm Boston carried back home, coming after several roster adjustments and a compact schedule that figures to shape both teams’ approaches as the season progresses.
