Nikola Jokic Shines As Denver Nuggets Top Boston Celtics in Low-Scoring 103-84 Win
In a game between two of the top teams in both conferences, the Denver Nuggets were able to cruise to victory over the Boston Celtics in a defensive battle in the “Mile High City” on Wednesday.
Jokic Carries Nuggets to the Win as Jamal Murray Exits Early
Well, whenever you need a big game from a three-time league MVP, you can expect Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic to deliver in a big way when Denver needs it most. Jokic had 30 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists, as the Nuggets needed every bit of his production against an elite Celtics defense. Denver shot just 41% from the field in their win.
Of course, the Nuggets were in many ways forced to lean on Jokic to help carry the load on offense, as their All-Star Guard Jamal Murray exited in the first quarter due to illness. Murray had been dealing with tightness in his right hamstring, but the Nuggets were quick to announce on X that any potential injury was not the reason for the star guard’s early exit.
Denver also received some key contributions in their win from their bench, namely from Jonas Valanciunas and Tim Hardaway Jr., who provided ample support for Jokic in the game. Hardaway Jr. finished with 14 points and 4 assists, while Valanciunas added 11 points and 6 rebounds in the win. The bench would play a big role for the Nuggets, as the second unit scored 42 points in the game.
Jaylen Brown and the Celtics Offense Go Cold
After putting together an impressive performance against the Lakers and Suns earlier this week, both the Celtics’ offense and All-Star Jaylen Brown would fall flat in this game. Boston shot just 34% from the field and 27% from beyond the arc, while Brown would score 23 points on an inefficient 7-of-21 shooting in the game. It was one of the rare off nights for Brown, as the five-time All-Star has cemented himself as one of the top candidates for NBA MVP this season.
It was also a poor performance from the entire Celtics roster, as no player was able to provide much lift for Boston on offense, as only three players managed to score in double figures. It was a particularly poor performance from Celtics sharpshooter Payton Pritchard, who scored just 3 points on 1-of-6 shooting from the floor in the loss. This was the second straight game where Pritchard scored under 10 points.
While the Celtics’ offense was the main driving factor for their loss, Boston also uncharacteristically faltered when it came to the small things. The Celtics were outrebounded 54 to 48 against Denver, while also committing 13 turnovers, which directly led to 14 points for the Nuggets. Boston only managed to score just 5 points off of Denver’s 8 turnovers, a stat that will surely not sit well with Celtics Head Coach Joe Mazzulla.
Updated NBA Standings Following the Game
Although this game was a pivotal matchup for both teams, neither side’s place in their respective conference standings was severely impacted following the game. For the Nuggets, they’ll have to wait a little while longer to move up to the 3rd-place position in the West, as the Houston Rockets took care of business last night against the Sacramento Kings. Only two games separate the 6th-place and 3rd-place positions in the West at the moment.
For the Celtics, they’ll hold their current position in 2nd place in the East as they still maintain a two-game advantage over the New York Knicks for that spot. However, their chances of catching up to the top-seeded Detroit Pistons took a slight hit, as they now sit 6 games behind Detroit for that coveted spot in the East.
