Post Game - Celtics vs. Denver Nuggets - Friday, January 19 (L)

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401585214

From another perspective:



Recap: Denver Nuggets fight for the full forty-eight minutes and pick up huge 102-100 win against Boston Celtics

https://www.denverstiffs.com/recap-denver-nuggets-win-boston-celtics-102-100-january-19-2024-nikola-jokic-jamal-murray-jayson-tatum-kristaps-porzingis/


8 mins ago
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Zach Mikash
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The Denver Nuggets faced the daunting task of taking on the Boston Celtics on their homecourt where they had yet to lose. The Nuggets got huge performances from their stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray which offset some big games from Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White. It was a back and forth affair the whole night with Denver needing an early comeback but they ultimately outlast the Celtics and pick up a huge win on the road 102-100.

Porzingis opened the game hot for Boston, scoring their first eleven points while the Nuggets used a balanced attack led by Jokic to counter his proficiency. Boston was firing away from three which got them a small lead but the game was very close early on. The Nuggets offense started to cool off slightly midway through the quarter but Porzingis was proving wholly ineffective against Jokic on defense and that was enough to carry them. Both teams traded some more threes and we went back and forth with the quarter winding down. Jokic continued to carry the offense while Boston continued to have a response. They pushed back to take the lead in the closing moments of the first. Reggie Jackson knocked down a pair of mid range shots to close it out and after one Denver trailed 32-31.



Jokic checked out and Boston opened the second quarter with a 6-0 run. Murray got a little hot to get the Nuggets on the board and keep the lead from growing too much. Peyton Watson had a nice sequence a little bit later with a classic Swatson block followed by knocking down a three. Denver couldn’t close the gap though as it was Tatum’s turn to get hot for the Celtics. After him, Jaylen Brown got a couple buckets and a 9-1 Boston run forced Michael Malone to take a timeout. It didn’t help much as Boston grew the lead to double digits. Murray kept up his stellar play in the quarter and tried to rally Denver back but they were getting killed on the offensive glass. Still, the Nuggets were able to close the gap at least some and entered the half trailing 61-55.



Porter and Murray opened the second with some impressive baskets, including a nice and-1 from Porter. That helped Denver get within a couple baskets. A Jokic three from the top of the arc got Denver back the lead with about seven minutes to go in the quarter. Boston responded to quickly get the lead back while Denver also got a less than favorable whistle. White in particular was having a nice quarter. Jokic led a rally back the other way as the game continued to be a good one. Denver’s defense picked up the intensity a bit and they pulled within three with a minute to go. Porter got it within one with some free throws and the third quarter ended with Boston up 82-81.



Denver’s bench unit was in to start the fourth and they leaned heavily on Murray for offensive production. They had enough to survive the minutes without Jokic and actually had a one point lead with eight minutes to go. Murray continued to be red hot from the field while White was still was hitting shots for Boston. They pushed back again and went on a 7-0 run to force a Denver timeout. Jokic started to bully Horford in the post and the lead went right back to Denver. The game went into the closing minutes with the Nuggets clinging to a one point lead. Jokic drove the lane and had an opportunity to put the Nuggets up three under thirty seconds to go but he kicked it out to Gordon who airballed a three. Tatum missed the layup on the other end and fouled Gordon. He made the first free throw and missed the second while the Celtics committed a clear lane violation but the refs got together, remembered they had the Celtics moneyline, and decided to call it a jump ball instead which the Celtics won. The basketball gods would not be cheated though. Boston couldn’t get a good look on their first attempt, called timeout and drew up a second play but Tatum couldn’t cash it in and the Nuggets escape with a win. Denver closes it out 102-100.

Celtics-Nuggets takeaways: Jokic, Murray hand C's their first home loss

https://sports.yahoo.com/celtics-nuggets-takeaways-jokic-murray-034113680.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

Justin Leger
Fri, Jan 19, 2024, 10:41 PM EST·4 min read




Celtics-Nuggets takeaways: Jokic, Murray hand C's their first home loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics' historic home win streak has come to an end.

In a thrilling Friday night showdown, the defending champion Denver Nuggets handed the C's their first defeat at TD Garden this season. It was a back-and-forth affair that came down to the final seconds. Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum had a chance to send it into overtime but missed the game-tying shot as time expired, resulting in a 102-100 Nuggets win.

The potential NBA Finals preview lived up to the hype with 13 lead changes and eight ties. Boston led by as many as 12 points but Denver chipped away late in the third quarter and took control in the fourth. Jamal Murray (35 points) and two--time MVP Nikola Jokic (34 points) were virtually unstoppable as they carried the Nuggets to victory.

Derrick White did his part with 24 points in a losing effort for the C's. Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis added 22 and 21 points, respectively.

Next, the C's (32-10) will hit the road to take on former head coach Ime Udoka and the Houston Rockets (19-21). Before we turn the page to that matchup, here are three takeaways from Friday's game.

Nuggets stars outshine the Jays

It was clear from the get-go that the Celtics were going to have their handful with Jokic. The five-time All-Star had his way early with 15 points in the first quarter. Boston's strategy was to force Jokic to score rather than allow him to set up his teammates with his elite passing. That plan proved to be futile.

Jokic nearly had a triple-double (30 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists) heading into the fourth quarter. He finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists while shooting 14-of-21 from the floor (2-4 from 3).



The C's had no answer for Murray, either. The 26-year-old guard caught fire with 15 second-quarter points and stayed hot from that point on, finishing with a game-high 35. He hit 15 of his 21 shots (3-7 3-PT) while notching eight rebounds and five assists.



Jokic and Murray were a combined 29-for-42 (69 percent) from the floor and 5-for-11 (45.4 percent) from deep. Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined to shoot 15-for-43 (34.9 percent) from the floor and 2-for-17 (11.7 percent) from beyond the arc. That was the difference.

The last duo to score 30-plus points apiece vs. the Celtics was Immanuel Quickley and Julius Randle for the New York Knicks last March.

Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White do their part

Porzingis went toe-to-toe with Jokic and carried the C's offense in a tightly contested first quarter. The Latvian big man set the tone, throwing down a dunk on the game's first possession followed by three consecutive 3-pointers for the Celtics' first 11 points.

He ended up with 15 first-quarter points -- tied for his highest-scoring quarter this season -- and 19 points at the half.



Porzingis slowed down in the second half, finishing with 21 points (6-11 FG, 3-5 3-PT), eight rebounds, two assists, and a block.

White picked up the second-half slack. The All-Defensive guard helped Boston survive another sluggish third quarter, scoring 13 of the team's 21 points in the frame. He scored or assists on six of the Celtics' eight third-quarter makes. His effort earned him MVP chants at the free-throw line.



Home streak snapped

The longest home win streak to start a season in Celtics history is over. Boston is now 20-1 at TD Garden this season after falling to the reigning champions.

It was the 11th-best home start in NBA history. The league record is 39, set by the San Antonio Spurs during the 2015-16 campaign.

The C's won 27 consecutive regular-season games at TD Garden dating back to last year. That marked their longest streak since they won 33 straight from Dec. 1986 to Nov. 1987.

They'll look to start a new home win streak when they host the Los Angeles Clippers nex Saturday, Jan. 27. First, they'll hit the road for a three-game trip starting with a Sunday night matchup vs. the Houston Rockets.

KP was out of steam in the 4th quarter one question why oh why did they not go to DWhite more in the 4th quarter????

I didn’t like the tonights usual winning strategy, we stuck to our identity of the 3 ball, the problem was our 2 best players were 2-17 combined from 3. If each was say 1-5, and used those extra possessions to attack the rim I would have liked our chances better. Their 2 best players were lights out, their A+ games. Our 2 best players were way off and it was still a one possession game at the end. If just one of our guys was ON, with his normal 28-30 point game we win, if both are on, we win easily. If only one would have given us 30-35, like both their top 2 did. Jokic as great as is, is not an elite rim protector, they don’t have elite rim protection. My eye test told me we looked our best when we were running in transition and attacking the rim, we didn’t do enough of that. Joe messed up, he should have had our superior athletes attacking way more. When we attacked, the open lanes were there, we just stopped doing it and took too many 3’s after getting off to a hot 9-18 start from 3 in the first half.

It’s only one loss, would have been great to keep the home winning streak alive. J’s picked a bad night to both be so off from 3. 2-17 from 3 and it’s a 2 point game at the very end…??? So winnable. Also Hauser had 0 points and 1 rebound in 16 minutes. I like Sam and root for him, but in this game he gave us nothing; the whole 2nd half as we were also getting out rebounded, I was like where is Brissett? We could have used some of his hustle plays, in a tight game like this, 6 points and 5 rebounds from him could have went a long way. Like made a difference. After getting to 98 points with 4.51 left in the 4th, up 98-95, we scored 2 points the rest of the game going 1-10. Please make better strategy Joe, attack their weaknesses and better in game adjustments. Denver actually shot 25% from 3, even worse than our 31%, but they didn’t shoot too many of them, they beat us with 2’s. Yes in this era, it can still be done. Can we post the J’s more please?

Hope I’m not coming across as the grim reaper, just keeping it real as I see it. When we are rolling and doing great, I love being a big cheerleader. When we lose and I see things obvious to me that could have made a difference, I’m going to point them out, despite my limited coaching pedigree/experience.

Sometimes hard to teach an old dog new trick, old habits die hard...take your pick. 3-ball was working early. Not late. Can't be scared of Jokic. He'll foul our good, smart players.

Two great teams going at it. They are still the best. But we are very, very close with time on our hands. We came up short. Get on the flight to Houston.

Silver Lining? You know it. Lakers get blown out by BKN!!

db

Bontemps wrote a good post-game analysis on ESPN that included the stat that Tatum is just 3-13 on buzzer beaters to tie or win during the last two years. Then, he quoted Tatum explaining he rushed the shot because Denver had a foul to give and the Cs were out of TOs. Need a new dog or trick at the end, 3 for 13 is 23%.

BingBang! wrote:Bontemps wrote a good post-game analysis on ESPN that included the stat that Tatum is just 3-13 on buzzer beaters to tie or win during the last two years. Then, he quoted Tatum explaining he rushed the shot because Denver had a foul to give and the Cs were out of TOs. Need a new dog or trick at the end, 3 for 13 is 23%.

Tatum is a great driver and finisher, he knows that, we all know that. Why a weak fade away? Go to the hole strong, make them stop/foul you. Jaylen is playing some of his best ball ever, but his FT shooting in the clutch is terrible….

We have to be really careful not to become the Eagles in Football this season or worse, the Dallas Cowboys over the last 28 years.  Some similarities, some striking contrasts, but when you're winning, everything looks good and things get swept under the rug.  Losing every once and a while for a contender helps way more than winning and padding the percentages ever will.      

My analysis is simple, like Russell's.  Were we in the game with a chance to win?  Yes.  Is JT wearing out his welcome as our go-to guy at 23% for the game winner?  Probably.  Is there a Plan B with JT as the decoy?  If so, I haven't seen it yet but I would imagine it would have to include DW, may be even DH.   KP had a chance once and missed it.  Not saying he can't be the one but if you need a three to win, I'd give him the ball.  JB would be better for a mid-range or dunk play but you ain't getting a good look there for the last shot. DW gets it done. He's actually the first guy I'd go to for the play BEFORE we get to the last shot.

The best strategy is not to get ourselves in these messes in the first place.  Easier said than done. Back the these COTT games up a little bit and see what is going wrong just before these last shots to win the game are front and center.  Fix that. We'll definitely need that come playoff time. I'll take having the game in hand any day over last second shots to win.  Too much can and does go wrong more than right as we clearly see. There aren't any MJ's out there. And don't get me started on Damian "Harden" Lillard.

db

Hi,
My only gripe (thing we could but didn't do) is with Joe. He should've stuck with the plan that worked in the first half: keep KP and/or AH in when Joker is in, when he's on the bench let Kornet fly and sit both KP and AH.
Also, to a lesser degree, he should've devised a better play when he took the first TO and, actually, the second TO at the very end.
Obviously, neither 32% of 3pt nor 71% of FT were much of a help.
On the bright side we had only 2 (!) turnovers.

AK

Good point, sinus007. Shame to lose that game on our best TO stat of the season!

db

Real tough home loss.

This game was loss because of our offense.  The defense was really rock solid while only giving up 102 points.  

It was my impression that the Celtics began somewhat bored with the process.  When things got tight they reverted back to more ISO ball.  The Jays both turned in their homework assignment and the teacher quickly put a C in the upper right hand corner of page one.  When the two best students in the class crash and burn the aspiring underclassmen get a reprieve.   Not really!    

Our bench was invisible.  3 points for PP and a great big fat bagel for Sam.

By now all of us know who this team is.  Their offense is and will continue to be anchored by shooting and making a lot lot of 3 points shots.

When they do not make them they become somewhat disconcerted.  It is a WTF moment when they post a mere 3 TOV game at home and lose by 2 measly points.

As former coach BB would say FU...It's on to Houston!

I think I know this team, we are virtually unbeatable when Pritch and Sam give us that spark and go for say 12-15 points each on good efficiency. Having said that we are 22-1 when the J’s go for 30 each in the same game, a .957 winning percentage, not bad. The defense definitely carried us, but bottom line we couldn’t overcome 2-17 from the J’s and nothing from the bench. I’m actually amazed how close the game was, just a little better execution and a good shot or 2 going down in the last 4 minutes and we could have pulled this off. I still like how we match up with these guys, I don’t see the J’s playing like that in the next match up with them….

Everyone on the floor and in the building, knew the last play was going to Tatum. Imagination Joe, the most accurate player on the floor was DWhite, he hit three quarters of what he put up! Time to mix it up, go to the unexpected. The old "out of time out" plays that Brad would shock people with need a comeback! Time for some lessons from your boss. Jayson Tatum is an awesome ballplayer, but nine times out of ten, he is going to be double/trippled teamed. We have some talented players on this team, give them a shot at winning plays

RosalieTCeltics wrote:Everyone on the floor and in the building, knew the last play was going to Tatum.  Imagination Joe,   the most accurate player on the floor was DWhite, he hit three quarters of what he put up!  Time to mix it up, go to the unexpected.  The old "out of time out" plays that Brad would shock people with need a comeback!  Time for some lessons from your boss. Jayson Tatum is an awesome  ballplayer, but nine times out of ten, he is going to be double/trippled teamed.  We have some talented players on this team, give them a shot at winning plays

+1 Exactly