Celtics Vs Nuggets: Denver’s late surge hands Boston a 103-84 loss

In Denver, the celtics vs nuggets matchup ended in a 103-84 loss for Boston — the Celtics’ first defeat of a four-game Western swing — after a late 15-0 run and a season-low 34. 9 percent shooting by the visitors.

Celtics Vs Nuggets in Denver

The Nuggets pulled away in the second half, finishing with a 103-84 victory over the Celtics. Joe Mazzulla called one timeout, then another, as the third quarter closed and the fourth began; neither break snapped Boston out of its late funk. The loss marked the end of an otherwise productive road trip that featured dominant wins earlier on the swing.

Second-half slide and a 15-0 run

Fatigue crept in late in the third quarter and Boston’s defense, which had been strong, began to unravel. Mazzulla called a timeout with 1: 27 left in the third after Denver scored on three straight possessions — a dunk and two layups — leaving the Celtics trailing 70-67. On the first possession after that timeout, Nikola Vučević missed a layup and the Nuggets hit a fast break the other way. Moments later, Nikola Jokić, who finished with 30 points, 12 rebounds and six assists on 11-of-28 shooting, drained a 3-pointer to push the lead to 75-67. Following a Jaylen Brown turnover, K. J. Simpson slammed home a dunk to put Boston behind by 10. The Celtics then went scoreless over the first 1: 57 of the fourth quarter as Denver completed a 15-0 run.

Shooting woes and team reactions

Boston shot just 34. 9 percent from the field — its least efficient offensive performance of the season — and repeatedly missed good looks in the fourth. Jaylen Brown said the team still created open shots, saying, “Every night is an opportunity to learn, ” and adding, “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. ”

Derrick White described the turning point succinctly: “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. ” Mazzulla acknowledged the mix of errors that fueled Denver’s run: “It was a combination of we missed shots, a combination of a couple live-ball turnovers, and then they got out in transition. I think half of (that) run came in transition, either off some of our missed shots, our missed rim reads, or just a turnover. ” Midway through the fourth quarter, Mazzulla emptied the bench.

Road-trip context, Nuggets' absences and the immediate aftermath

The Celtics had dominated the first three games of the road trip, beating the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns by a combined 49 points before the Denver setback. The game in Denver was the second leg of a back-to-back at the end of a long Western Conference swing — described in the context as one of the most difficult games on Boston’s schedule. The Nuggets played without Aaron Gordon, who was sidelined by a hamstring issue, and Jamal Murray left the game in the first half with an illness; nonetheless the team remained dangerous in Denver’s altitude.

Jaylen Brown also noted the Nuggets’ physicality: “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. ” For the second straight game, only White could find a sho—unclear in the provided context.

What’s next

The Celtics’ next scheduled game is unclear in the provided context.