Thanks to their star duo Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets narrowly prevailed against the East leader Boston Celtics. This ends the longest winning streak of the current season.
Boston Celtics (32-10) – Denver Nuggets (29-14) 100:102 (BOXSCORE)
It was the top game of the evening! On one side the Boston Celtics, number one in the East, on the other hand the Denver Nuggets, the reigning NBA champions. What sounded like a top game on paper also lived up to it in practice.
13 lead changes, eight ties and high intensity from the start – the duel offered everything you could hope for from a game like this.
Celtics vs. Nuggets: 13 lead changes and tension until the end
Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic each scored 19 points in the first half, accounting for almost 70 percent of all Nuggets points. The game was a little more balanced for the Celtics, who were able to record 15 assists in the first 24 minutes.
Consequently, the hosts led 61:55 at halftime. A narrow lead, but one that didn’t last long. A quick 12-4 run gave the Nuggets the lead early in the third period. The Celtics responded with a 9-0 run of their own to take back control of the game. The final quarter was 82:81.
Here both teams turned up the heat again. Nuggets guard Jamal Murray sank five of his first six throws into the basket. Boston held on through Jaylen Brown, who completed a 7-0 run to give the Celtics a 98-95 lead with five minutes left.
But, it seemed, coach Joe Mazzulla’s team had suddenly run out of ammunition. The Celtics remained without a point for almost three and a half minutes. The Nuggets took advantage of the opportunity and pulled away to within three points. A layup from Tatum with 1:41 left made things close again. And now Denver didn’t want to succeed much anymore – defense at playoff level!
On the last possession, Gordon went to the line for Denver, but only hit one free throw. The opportunity for Boston! The Celtics almost lost the ball twice, but both times they escaped into timeouts. With just under five seconds on the clock, Tatum misses a fadeaway throw to potentially equalize – the final point.
Celtics vs. Nuggets: Jokic misses triple-double in first game after Milojevic’s death
Nikola Jokic once again showed a strong performance with 34 points, twelve rebounds and nine assists. The game was particularly special for the Serb after the death of his compatriot Dejan Milojevic on Wednesday. The Golden State Warriors assistant coach was Jokic’s coach in Serbia for a time. Both still maintained a good relationship with each other.
“Over the last few days we have supported, comforted and hugged him,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone. “Nikola went out and honored Dejan’s memory and legacy by playing at the highest level. That’s not easy when you have a heavy heart. But Nikola is a special person.”
This time the title of top scorer went to Jamal Murray. The guard scored an efficient 35 points while shooting 15/21 from the field.
For the Celtics, Derrick White (24), Kristaps Porzingis (21), Jayson Tatum (22) and Jaylen Brown (13) each scored in double figures. It was the Celtics’ first home loss of the season. Most recently they had won 20 games in a row in front of their own crowd.
The Celtics and Nuggets only meet one more time in the regular season. They will meet in Denver on March 7th.
NBA – Celtics vs. Nuggets: Die Stats-Leader
2024-01-20 08:37:00
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