Celtics Vs Nuggets: Nuggets 103-84 over Boston in Denver
In the celtics vs nuggets matchup on Feb. 25, 2026, the Denver Nuggets beat the Boston Celtics 103-84 in Denver, a game Boston lost in the second half after struggling to convert shots and finish possessions.
Celtics Vs Nuggets: Second half collapse decided the game
Joe Mazzulla called one timeout. Then another. The third quarter ended and the fourth began, and neither break could snap the Celtics out of the funk that defined the second half of the 103-84 loss on Feb. 25, 2026 in Denver.
Fatigue appeared to surface late in the third quarter, when a defense that had been strong began to unravel. Mazzulla called a timeout with 1: 27 left in the third after the Nuggets scored on three straight possessions — a dunk and two layups — to turn what had been a close game into a momentum swing.
Jokić surge and a 15-0 run
On the first possession out of that timeout, Nikola Vučević missed a layup and the Nuggets ran the other way. Moments later, Nikola Jokić (30 points, 12 rebounds, six assists on 11-of-28 shooting) hit a 3-pointer to push Denver’s lead to 75-67. After a Jaylen Brown turnover, K. J. Simpson slammed home a dunk that put Boston behind by 10 and capped a sequence that left the Celtics scoreless for the first 1: 57 of the fourth quarter as Denver finished a 15-0 run.
Mazzulla said, “It was a combination of we missed shots, a combination of a couple live-ball turnovers, and then they got out in transition. ” He added, “I think half of (that) run came in transition, either off some of our missed shots, our missed rim reads, or just a turnover. ”
Offense faltered: shooting, turnovers and missed chances
The Celtics managed just 34. 9 percent shooting from the field, their least efficient offensive performance of the season. Derrick White summed up the third-quarter slide: “For most of the third (quarter), we just weren’t really able to get anything going, ” and added, “And then they were taking those misses and getting out in transition and getting layups. ”
Boston had some fourth-quarter opportunities to cut into the deficit but repeatedly missed good looks, and Mazzulla emptied the bench midway through the fourth quarter.
What players and context mattered in Denver
Jaylen Brown said he believed the Celtics “got a lot of great looks” and emphasized learning from the loss: “Every night is an opportunity to learn. So definitely some takeaways from tonight. They’re a good team. I thought we put ourselves in a good position. We’ve just got to convert. I thought we had a bunch of open looks, and we just got to stick ’em and trust our guys to shoot it confidently. And then also I think we gave them a couple more extra-chance points than we would have liked on the glass. But other than that, I thought we competed. ”
Brown also said, “Tough night shooting the ball, ” and, “Their physicality was pretty good tonight, but I thought we just didn’t convert on the offensive end. That kind of spilled over to defense a little bit. ”
The game came at the second leg of a back-to-back in Denver at the end of a long Western Conference swing; Boston had dominated the first three games of that road trip, beating the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns by 49 combined points. The Nuggets were missing Aaron Gordon because of a hamstring issue, and Jamal Murray left the game in the first half with an illness, but Denver remains dangerous in the altitude of Denver.
For the second straight game, only White could find a sho
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