Celtics Vs Nuggets: Nuggets 103, Celtics 84 — Mazzulla Gives Blunt Assessment
In the celtics vs nuggets matchup on Feb. 25, 2026 in Denver, the Nuggets defeated the Boston Celtics 103-84 at Ball Arena. The loss closed Boston’s West Coast road trip at 3-1 and came on the second night of a back-to-back, leaving the Celtics unable to reach the famed "40-20" milestone.
Celtics Vs Nuggets: game snapshot
The game was played in Denver, Colorado, USA, and photographs captured Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla yelling toward a referee during the first half at Ball Arena; Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images. Boston came into Ball Arena with nine wins in their last 10 games, but on this night the Celtics couldn’t buy a bucket, struggling from all three scoring levels as Denver held them to 84 points — the fewest the Nuggets have allowed this season.
Mazzulla's blunt breakdown
After the game, head coach Joe Mazzulla offered a detailed and honest assessment of what went wrong for Boston. "There’s probably, we talk about 10 to 15 (possessions), maybe you want to pick 30 today, " Mazzulla said. "And we’ll see how we approach preparation for our next game, and I think that can dictate how well we handled today... They were very physical at the point of attack. They were good switching up their matchups a little bit, but I thought they were just physical at the point of attack, and they defended us well. "
Mazzulla also noted that Boston’s rebounding had improved in recent months, but with tired legs at the end of a gruelling road trip the Celtics gave up 23 second-chance points while losing the rebounding battle 54-48. Fourteen of Denver’s 54 rebounds came on the offensive glass.
Nuggets’ season-best defensive night
Denver leaned on defense and rebounding. "Usually, maybe we win with the offense, " Nikola Jokic said, "but today we won with the defense. " The Nuggets, who improved to 37-22, outscored the Celtics 42-28 in the paint, 23-9 on second-chance points and 14-6 on fast breaks. Denver generated 14 points off turnovers, and the Nuggets deflected 17 passes compared with Boston’s 11, controlling tempo and finding quality shots despite the Celtics’ defense.
Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 30 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 14 off the bench. The game spotlight also fell on Bruce Brown for relentless ball pressure, Spencer Jones for pesky physicality and Cam Johnson for heady defensive impact alongside Jokic’s box-score theatrics.
How Boston's stars were handled
Boston’s primary scorer was neutralized. Jaylen Brown, whose offense has been described by LeBron James as elevated to MVP level this season while running mate Jayson Tatum rehabs from a torn Achilles tendon, was held to 23 points on 21 field goal attempts and committed four turnovers. Bruce Brown grilled him the most, picking the star wing pocket a handful of times. Julian Strawther, who scored 12 points in another start, said: "He’s a game-breaker. Get a couple steals. Get the crowd engaged. Get everybody going. Once he does it, everybody on the team wants to get involved, too. "
Denver limited Boston from long range, holding the Celtics to 12-for-43 on 3-pointers, and Nikola Vucevic did not knock down a 3-pointer all night. The Nuggets had been torched from 3-point range by the Warriors the previous Sunday and emphasized taking away the corners. Coach David Adelman said defensive adjustments helped, noting film work with Golden State and the need to make opponents drive back into the defense, and adding: "We have gotten to this point with our win total because of our offense. That’s the bottom line. But for us to do anything uniquely special this season, our defense has to come along. " Adelman also said: "The whole film session with Golden State was, they were starting their offense wherever the hell they wanted to start it... It just wasn’t good enough. … In our league right now, that’s the area where you can get physical. You have to toe the line a little bit. And then obviously discipline comes into play when they attack the basket. "
Numbers, context and what's next
Before Wednesday, the Nuggets had held 17 opponents to fewer than 110 points; only four of those teams had winning records, including Toronto (the NBA’s 18th-ranked offense) and Golden State (14th). This was only the third time this season Denver kept an opponent out of triple digits. Boston still touts the second-best offensive rating in the league, behind Denver’s.
Boston will now head home to prepare for the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, Feb. 27. Mazzulla’s team leads that season series 2-1. Fans will be hoping that a full day’s rest, back home with their families, gets the Celtics back to, or at least near, their best on their home floor.
Adam Taylor is covering the Boston Celtics all the way from the UK. He is the creator, host and writer of the Celtics Chronicle and is probably drawing Xs and Os on napkins during his lunch break. A related piece offered player reaction titled: "Jaylen Brown Reacts After Celtics Fall to Nuggets on Road. "
