The Celtics wrapped up a successful road trip with a 118-106 win over the Nikola Jokic-less Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.
Jayson Tatum led the way with 29 points and six assists, Kristaps Porzingis added 25 points and 11 rebounds and the Celtics (27-10) racked up 30 assists as a team. Russell Westbrook paced the Nuggets (20-15), finishing with 26 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and yes, 8 turnovers.
Here are 10 takeaways:
1) The road trip was ultimately fruitful.
The Thunder game got away from them, but overall, this was a promising road trip for the Celtics. Facing four potential playoff teams in six days isn’t easy, especially with all the travel involved.
They found a way to win against the Timberwolves, dominated the Rockets, learned from a setback against the Thunder and responded against the Nuggets.
Celtics fans should feel better now than they did a week ago – not that there was really any reason to panic in the first place.
2) Kristaps Porzingis was aggressive.
Porzingis is always in attack mode, but he was particularly assertive Tuesday night.
He poured in 15 first-quarter points, taking advantage of a relatively empty paint with Jokic out. DeAndre Jordan did his best, but he was outmatched, and Porzingis even swatted his dunk attempt on the other end for good measure.
Porzingis takes the Celtics from great to nearly unstoppable.
“When KP is playing well, we’re pretty tough to beat,” Jrue Holiday told reporters.
3. Shockingly, the Nuggets missed Jokic.
Give the Nuggets credit...They hung around without Jokic for most of the game, but eventually, the lack of interior scoring and general Jokic-ness caught up to them.
Jamal Murray helped pick up the slack, but the Nuggets’ centers were invisible. The double-big lineup worked well for the Celtics.
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The Celtics should win this game with Jokic sidelined, and they found a way to do just that.
4. A 15-0 run made the difference.
While dominating an entire game can be fun, the reality is that the Celtics really just need one great stretch to win most games.
They played relatively well most of the night, especially in the first quarter, but a fourth-quarter flurry ultimately made the difference.
Christian Braun tied it at 93 on a 3 with 8:32 left, then the Celtics used a 15-0 burst over the next four-plus minutes to seize command. All five Celtics scored in the stretch, highlighted by a 3-pointers from Holiday and Al Horford.
That killer instinct that has been absent at times recently returned in this one.
5. They made a point in the paint.
Per statistician Dick Lipe, the Celtics had at least 60 points in the paint, 25 points off turnovers and 20 second-chance points for just the third time since 2020.
Boston made a concerted effort to attack the basket (see: Nikola Jokic). Denver tried to beat Boston at its own game, by taking a barrage of 3’s, and it almost worked. But the Celtics wore the Nuggets down with their dribble-drives, athleticism and size.
6. A happy Holiday, indeed.
Lipe noted that the Celtics are 47-2 all-time when Holiday scores at least 14 points. He finished with 19 against Denver and looked for his offense a bit more than usual.
Holiday has a unique ability to decide how aggressive to be based on what the game needs. In this one, with Derrick White out, he took 12 shots – which he’s only done one other time since that unusual 8-for-26 night against Memphis.
7. A little assist goes a long way.
One more from Lipe: The Celtics have won 24 straight when racking up at least 30 assists.
Jaylen Brown had a game-high eight – his most since Dec. 21 against the Bulls – and is now averaging a career-high 4.7 on the season.
Brown has steadily improved his passing ability throughout his career, and it’s been on display more than ever so far this season. He set the tone Tuesday, and the rest of the Celtics followed suit.
“Each game provides a different lesson,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters. “Tonight, it was the ability to understand each other and to play for each other on the offensive end and obviously continue our physicality defensively.”
8. Speaking of Jaylen, you’ll get a kick out of this one.
Brown accidentally kicked a fan’s beer onto the floor in the fourth quarter. The beer was perhaps a bit too close to the line, but it was definitely Brown who did the kicking.
It wasn’t quite a Larry David tripping Shaquille O’Neal fiasco, but it did require a long pause and lots of ice clean-up near mid-court.
Brown then helped the Celtics put the game on ice down the stretch.
9. Sam Hauser is approaching The Little Guy.
Sam Hauser is quietly making his way up the Celtics’ all-time 3-point list. After a 3-for-5 showing Tuesday, he’s now 13th all-time with 419 3’s.
He passed beloved Walter McCarty, who had 417. Next up is Isaiah Thomas, who has 460.
Hauser’s teammates, Payton Pritchard, Horford, Brown and Tatum, are all in the top 10. Passing Larry Bird (eighth, 649) isn’t out of the question.
10. Now, they can’t let up.
This is a good mental exercise for the Celtics. Those wins are important, but they all count the same in the standings as the next three games.
With the Kings, Pelicans and Raptors on the horizon, it would behoove the Celtics to act as though they’re still playing the best in the West.
This is the time to keep the intensity high and build momentum.
