The Celtics continue to transmit good feelings. The Boston team prevailed in a more than clear way during their visit to the Ball Arena, in which they endorsed the Nuggets with a considerable 104-124 with which to make it clear that they are in a sweet moment. This was actually the third win in a row for Udoka’s side, making them the most in-form team in the East and leaving them just half a game shy of a second place in the conference that a few months ago would have been utopian to dream of.
Those from Massachusetts left the clash on track very early, as a spectacular second quarter shot the distance in their favor. With a run of 5-28, the visitors reached a 27-point advantage before the break, a stretch of the game in which the collective factor shone but in which Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard stood out, the latter with a 4/ 4 on triples in the second period. With such a blow on the table, Boston had to limit itself to keeping the difference after the break, something it did without problems and without letting the Nuggets dream of a comeback.
Both Tatum himself and Jaylen Brown were largely to blame for this. With 30 points each, both carried the offensive of some sweet Celtics, who found their stars very successful (both shot above 60% accuracy) and eager to resolve the game without complications. Jaylen added his points especially in the paint or in the middle distance, while Jayson, who also distributed 7 assists, stood out especially in the triple, a section in which, with a 6/10, he managed to beat Ray Allen on the list Celtics’ all-time 3-pointers (801 total) and place third.
The forward ended up receiving shouts of MVP precisely at the home of one of the great candidates to win said award, something that he recognized made him feel proud: “It’s a great feeling,” he said. “It’s something you expect to happen when you’re at home, but when you travel and see Celtics jerseys and sweatshirts in the stands, and hear how they support you on the other court, it feels great.”
The Celtics also did a great job defensively, especially in stopping Nikola Jokic. The Serbian managed to finish with 23 points, but he did so after signing a poor 8/23 shooting and despite having started the match adding 12 points in the first quarter. This start promised a great night individually for him, but the excellent work of Al Horford, Robert Williams and Grant Williams managed to make him go from more to less and sink the Nuggets with him.
And it is that the rest of the local players could do little to get the team afloat. Aaron Gordon and DeMarcus Cousins, with 13 and 12 points, finished as the team’s second and third scorers, respectively, not enough to plant such a dashing Celtics. In this way, Malone’s men suffered a key defeat, since it placed them, for the first time in many months, outside the positions of direct access to the playoffs, a position that the Timberwolves have taken from them. We will see if in the weeks that remain ahead those from Colorado can recover it or if they are doomed to the play-in.
(Cover photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)