3 Studs, 3 duds from Celtics win in preseason opener vs. Nuggets

Dud - Basketball

Let’s drag the Denver Nuggets into this dud as well, because yikes. Both teams looked super rough in the first quarter. It was painfully clear that neither had played a game together in months.

Everything from turnovers to air-balls to questionable decisions was popping up as both sides struggled to find a rhythm for the first few minutes of the contest.

In the first quarter alone, the Celtics shot just 3-of-14 from three-point range and turned the ball over five times. And while the Nuggets shot a bit better from deep (4-of-10), they also committed five turnovers.

Both starting groups settled into a bit of a rhythm as the game went on, especially once Nikola Jokic saw a few buckets go down in the paint.

But once the backups took over again, the game went back to a pretty rough style of hoops. There were some fun moments mixed in, including DeAndre Jordan turning back the clock, but it looked a bit more like a Summer League game than NBA action.

Preseason games are never going to be played at the same level as regular season games, but this one was particularly rough for a few stints throughout the game.