DENVER — “We were supposed to be 4-0, but second best was 3-1,” said Joe Mazzulla after the Celtics defeated the Nuggets 118-106 to close out a four-game road trip.
Jayson Tatum led the way with 29 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks, continuing a strong stretch of individual basketball.
Jrue Holiday had his highest-scoring game in over a month, recording 19 points, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
And, Kristaps Porzingis finished with 25 points on 9-18 shooting, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, taking advantage of mismatch after mismatch.
The road trip was highlighted by a last-second win against the Timberwolves, a blowout of the Rockets, and a comfortable win against the Nuggets. And, of course, there was the second-half collapse against the Thunder that marked the only loss of the week.
Still, despite the ups and downs of the past month, with Tuesday’s win, the Celtics improve to 27-10 on the season — good for third-best in the NBA. (For reference, the Celtics had a 28-9 record through 37 games last season).
Here’s three things you need to know from on-the-ground in Denver.
Add Ball Arena to the list of NBA arenas taken over by Celtics fans
It was an inspiring effort for the Denver Nuggets, who hung around in this one for most of the night despite being without both Nikola Jokic (illness) and Aaron Gordon (calf strain). The Celtics jumped ahead to a 15-point first half lead, only to watch it wither away when the Nuggets outscored them by 12 in the second quarter, with Russell Westbrook (26 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists) and Jamal Murray (19 points, 4 assists) leading the charge.
That’s the kind of shorthanded comeback run that would normally drown out an opposing team’s fanbase – but even during that stretch, the cheering of Celtics fans in attendance was audible.
As such, the game never felt like a true road game, with thousands of Celtics fans making their presence known each time their team scored. The same was the case in Houston, Chicago, Washington DC, Brooklyn, and several other cities the Celtics’ traveled to this season.
By the fourth quarter, the Celtics held a double-digit lead for good — and if you didn’t know any better, you might think that the game was being played in New England, not across the country in in Colorado.
The only stop on the Celtics road trip that felt like a true road game was Oklahoma City — in Denver, “Let’s Go Celtics” chants sporadically broke out…
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