Inside The Celtics

Here's What Stood Out as the Nuggets Handed the Celtics Their First Home Loss this Season

In a potential NBA Finals preview, the stars of the defending champions outshined those of the Celtics.

Bobby Krivitsky

Here's What Stood Out as the Nuggets Handed the Celtics Their First Home Loss this Season
Here's What Stood Out as the Nuggets Handed the Celtics Their First Home Loss this Season /
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Friday night at TD Garden, the Boston Celtics suffered their first defeat on their home floor this season.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown's combining to fare 15/43 from the field exemplified what type of shooting night it was for the hosts, whose quality spacing and ball movement merely led to one missed quality attempt after another.

Boston shot 42.7 percent from the floor, including an icy 14/44 (31.8 percent) from beyond the arc.

Their ability to take care of the ball and force turnovers at the other end, translating to an 11-3 advantage in that category, which they parlayed into a 17-2 edge in points off giveaways, kept their offense afloat.

Limiting the Denver Nuggets to 8/31 (25.8 percent) from three-point range and manufacturing 12 second-chance points were also crucial and a testament to the Celtics' shooting struggles not taking from their effort or ability to lock in defensively.

But with Nikola Jokic generating 34 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists, and Jamal Murray putting on an impressive display of difficult shot-making, finishing with a game-high 35 points, pairing it with eight boards and five dimes, the defending champions dropped the C's to 32-10, a mark that still places them atop the NBA standings.

Here's what stood out while the Nuggets earned a 102-100 victory in their lone regular-season trip to TD Garden -- a venue Denver may be returning to for a seven-game series in June.

1. The Celtics started the game with Kristaps Porzingis covering reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic in a man-to-man defense. The former generated Boston's first five points, including a rim-rattling two-handed jam on the opening possession.

Both put on impressive shot-making displays, matching each other and putting 15 points on the board, the most in a first frame that ended with the home team on top 32-31. They were also the only two to score in double figures in the opening 12 minutes.

Jokic only attempting one three and no free throws was a small but significant victory for the C's. But he did have three assists. So, while Porzingis did well to avoid picking up any fouls and contain nearly all of his damage to inside the arc, it's crucial to limit the former's assists, though that's much easier said than done.

2. Boston's ball movement and floor spacing were outstanding in the second quarter. But the hosts shot a frigid 39.3 percent from the field, including 4/14 (28.6 percent) from three-point range, as one quality look after another rimmed out.

To their credit, they stayed locked in defensively, protecting the perimeter well enough to limit the Nuggets to 24 points in the period despite Denver shooting 56.3 percent from the floor.

Consistently getting stops, including forcing six turnovers that led to seven points at the other end, allowed the Celtics to maintain an up-tempo operation and enter halftime with a 61-55 edge. Conversely, Boston entered intermission with only two giveaways, neither of which occurred in the second frame.

3. Jaylen Brown started the contest 1/7 before a sequence that began with him quickly getting the ball to Porzingis in the low post, rather than forcing the issue, led to free throws for the Latvian native, whose 19 first-half points matched Jokic and Jamal Murray for the most after the first two quarters.

Brown then threw down a thunderous dunk on a second-chance opportunity created by Jayson Tatum's tracking down a long rebound. On the hosts' following possession, the former generated a transition layup, capping what could prove a critical sequence in helping him find his rhythm.

The two-time All-Star entered the break with nine points.

4. The other half of the Celtics' star wing tandem registered 14, plus a team-high four assists in the first 24 minutes. His ability to impact the game beyond his scoring, doing so as a facilitator and a screener, remain constants that will prove crucial in the playoffs.

Tatum also received what this author deems a garbage technical for hanging on the rim after an emphatic two-handed slam. With a Nuggets player elevating to contest his attempt at the rim, the soon-to-be five-time All-Star pulling himself up, rather than swinging on the cylinder, should not result in a technical.

5. Derrick White stole the show for Boston in the third quarter. The All-Star caliber guard registered 13 points, more than half of what the hosts produced in the first 12 minutes after halftime, swiped two steals, and took a charge.

He also earned MVP chants as he stepped to the free-throw line to complete an old-school three-point play.

6. Ball security and forcing turnovers were again crucial for a Celtics team that had trouble scoring in the half-court. They had no turnovers for a second-straight period and parlayed three by the visitors into seven of their 21 points in the frame, entering the final 12 minutes leading 82-81.

7. But with Jamal Murray continuing an impressive display of difficult shot-making from all three levels, manufacturing 35 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, and Tatum unable to finish a difficult transition layup as he went through three defenders at full speed, with the hosts trailing 101-100 with 17.1 seconds left, then missing a fadeaway jumper on the game's final possession, the Nuggets handed Boston a 102-100 defeat for its first loss this season on the TD Garden parquet.

8. The Celtics are on to a Sunday night rematch against Ime Udoka and the Houston Rockets. That game will tip off at 7:00 EST.

Further Reading

Celtics Finding Joy in Basketball and Each Other's Company: 'We've Been Blessed'

Fixated on Winning, Jayson Tatum Again Proves He's Not 'Bored Making the Right Play Over and Over'

Ime Udoka Assesses Tatum and Brown's Growth Since Coaching Them: 'A Lot of Potential That I Haven't Tapped Into'

Marcus Smart in Danger of Missing Return to Boston

Jrue Holiday Responds to Celtics Saying He's Sacrificing Most: 'Not Mad at My Situation'

Brad Stevens Shares What Celtics Are Looking to Add and How He Hopes to Do So

Derrick White Opens Up About Journey from Uncertainty He Belonged in the NBA to an All-Star Caliber Guard

Jaylen Brown Quieting Doubters, Validating What He Always Believed: 'Earn Everybody's Trust'

Joe Mazzulla Discusses Identity, Evolution of Celtics' Offense: 'Balance of Pace and Execution'

Jaylen Brown Shares His View of What Defines 'Celtics Basketball'

Published
Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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