The Boston Celtics wrapped up a four-game Western Conference road trip on Tuesday night with a game against the Denver Nuggets. Last year, the Nuggets were the only team that Boston failed to beat a single time, and they were ready to change that heading into this one. But Denver wasn’t going down without a fight.
Boston was without Derrick White, while the Nuggets were missing three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon. But even though it was a short-handed matchup, Denver kept the game close. Both sides fought tooth and nail, but in the end, the Celtics picked up a 118-106 victory, ending their trip 3-1.
Here are three studs and three duds from the Celtics’ win over the Nuggets on Tuesday night.
Stud - Kristaps Porzingis
Just as he did against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kristaps Porzingis did a phenomenal job of using his size against the Nuggets. With Jokic sidelined, Porzingis was the biggest body on the floor by far.
Boston consistently looked to get Porzingis involved in the post-up game, and he bullied Denver every chance he got, whether it was drawing fouls or nailing turnarounds.
Porzingis was extra active on the glass in this one, too. He’s not always the best rebounder for his size, but he made a concerted effort to attack the boards on Tuesday, including some great offensive rebounding.
The Celtics’ offense ran through Porzingis for most of the game in Denver.
Dud - Defensive consistency
On Sunday in OKC, the Celtics’ defense was locked in all night. It was the best part of their game. But against the Nuggets, they didn’t seem to be quite as steady.
Some of the open threes Denver got were given up on purpose—a design choice of Boston’s defensive scheme. But a lot of the Nuggets’ penetration seemed to be a result of poor defensive consistency.
Whether it was the Celtics spacing out, weak individual defense, or poor screen navigation, Boston just wasn’t as crisp as they needed to be when guarding guys on the perimeter. The Nuggets got downhill seemingly whenever they wanted.
Maybe they took their foot off the gas because Jokic was out, but the Celtics’ defense wasn’t where it needed to be for stretches on Tuesday.
Stud - Jayson Tatum
This was a rough night for Jayson Tatum from a shooting perspective. But when he put the ball on the floor, Denver couldn’t stop him.
Tatum was absolutely incredible driving to the rim against the Nuggets. Whenever he got inside, it was almost automatic for the Celtics superstar, and on a night when Boston’s shots weren’t falling, they needed that offense from him.
And once the fourth quarter rolled around, Tatum's mid-range shot took over. From dropping Peyton Watson to shooting right over him, Tatum helped the Celtics put this game away.
Dud - First-half Jaylen Brown scoring
For the second half in a row, Jaylen Brown couldn’t do anything. He didn’t record a point in the second half of Boston’s loss to the Thunder, and he didn’t score in the first half of this game, either.
To his credit, Brown did a good job of facilitating, dishing out five assists in the first half, but he was still ice-cold in the scoring column. He shot 0-of-4 from the floor.
Perhaps the stretch was on the Celtics for not getting him involved, but seeing Brown be so cold from a scoring perspective for two halves in a row was odd.
Stud - Second-half Jaylen Brown
Luckily for the Celtics, Brown snapped himself out of whatever funk he was in during the first half. When the third quarter got rolling, Brown was red-hot.
The Nuggets had made a run late in the second quarter, and the game was tied heading into the half. And while they continued to keep the game close, Brown was the engine of Boston’s offense to start the third.
He drove to the rim with force, and if the Nuggets didn’t send two bodies his way, it was a bucket. Nobody on their roster could stay in front of Brown, and if they tried, he just went right through them.
Seeing Brown take over a game is fun to watch, especially after a cold first half.
Dud - Math
By the numbers, the Celtics’ defensive game plan should have worked perfectly. However, Russell Westbrook had other plans.
They let him shoot more often than not, but he made them pay. He was hot from behind the three-point line, and even when the Celtics started closing out a bit more, he still sunk his shots.
Heading into the night, Westbrook was shooting 31.6% from beyond the arc, yet on Tuesday night, he led the Nuggets in three-point makes. It was Caleb Martin all over again for the Celtics.