Celtics Vs Nuggets: Jaylen Brown likes where the celtics vs nuggets matchup left Boston
Jaylen Brown said he saw learning moments in the celtics vs nuggets game as Boston suffered a 103-84 loss in Denver, the team’s first defeat of a four-game Western swing. The Celtics shot 34. 9 percent from the field in what Brown called a night with “a bunch of open looks” they failed to convert.
Second-half unraveling in Denver
Dennver’s run that decided the game unfolded in the second half after Joe Mazzulla called one timeout, then another. The third quarter ended. The fourth quarter began. None of those breaks snapped the Celtics out of a funk during the second half of the 103-84 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Fatigue seemed to trip up the Celtics late in the third quarter, when a defense that had been strong until that point 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 — and Boston trailed 70-67. His timeout did nothing to slow the damage.
Nikola Jokić’s big night
Nikola Jokić had 30 points, 12 rebounds and six assists on 11-of-28 shooting as Denver finished the game 103-84. On the first possession out of Mazzulla’s late third-quarter timeout, Nikola Vučević missed a layup and the Nuggets capitalized with a fast break. Moments later Jokić drained a 3-pointer to extend Denver’s lead to 75-67.
15-0 run and momentum swing
Following a Jaylen Brown turnover, K. J. Simpson slammed home a dunk to put Boston behind by 10. Boston then went scoreless over the first 1: 57 of the fourth quarter as the Nuggets finished a 15-0 run. Mazzulla summarized the collapse: "It was a combination of we missed shots, a combination of a couple live-ball turnovers, and then they got out in transition, " and 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. ”
Offensive struggles and missed opportunities
The game was the Celtics’ least efficient offensive performance of the season, shooting just 34. 9 percent from the field. Brown said, "Every night is an opportunity to learn, " and added, "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. 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 Celtics had opportunities to cut into the deficit during the fourth quarter but repeatedly missed good looks, and Mazzulla emptied the bench midway through the fourth quarter.
Context of the road swing
The Celtics had dominated the first three games of their road trip, beating the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns by 49 combined points. The game in Denver was the second leg of a back-to-back at the end of a long Western Conference swing and was described in the context as one of the most difficult games on their schedule.
The Nuggets were missing Aaron Gordon, sidelined by a hamstring issue, and Jamal Murray left the game in the first half with an illness, yet Denver’s altitude and depth made them dangerous. On the sequence that swung the game, the Celtics’ defense and energy flagged late in the third, and the Nuggets capitalized.
Players and unfinished notes
Derrick White summed part of the setback: "For most of the third (quarter), we just weren’t really able to get anything going. And then they were taking those misses and getting out in transition and getting layups. " The game also included a play in which Nikola Vučević missed a layup before Denver pushed the ball and scored in transition.
For the second straight game, only White could find a sho — unclear in the provided context.
Jamie Schwaberow is credited in the original game coverage for the image accompanying the recap.
Boston’s first loss of the four-game Western swing came in Denver, 103-84, a defeat that left Jaylen Brown emphasizing learning and conversion as immediate priorities for the team.
