10 takeaways from the Celtics’ 118-106 triumph over the Nuggets

The Celtics wrapped up a profitable street journey with a 118-106 win over the Nikola Jokic-less Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.

Jayson Tatum led the way in which with 29 factors and 6 assists, Kristaps Porzingis added 25 factors and 11 rebounds and the Celtics (27-10) racked up 30 assists as a workforce. Russell Westbrook paced the Nuggets (20-15), ending with 26 factors, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and sure, 8 turnovers.

Listed below are 10 takeaways:

1) The street journey was finally fruitful.

The Thunder sport bought away from them, however total, this was a promising street journey for the Celtics. Going through 4 potential playoff groups in six days isn’t straightforward, particularly with all of the journey concerned.

They discovered a solution to win towards the Timberwolves, dominated the Rockets, realized from a setback towards the Thunder and responded towards the Nuggets.

Celtics followers ought to really feel higher now than they did every week in the past – not that there was actually any purpose to panic within the first place.

2) Kristaps Porzingis was aggressive.

Porzingis is all the time in assault mode, however he was notably assertive Tuesday night time.

He poured in 15 first-quarter factors, benefiting from a comparatively empty paint with Jokic out. DeAndre Jordan did his greatest, however he was outmatched, and Porzingis even swatted his dunk try on the opposite finish for good measure.

Porzingis takes the Celtics from nice to just about unstoppable.

“When KP is enjoying nicely, we’re fairly powerful to beat,” Jrue Vacation advised reporters.

3. Shockingly, the Nuggets missed Jokic.

Give the Nuggets credit score…They hung round with out Jokic for many of the sport, however ultimately, the dearth of inside scoring and common Jokic-ness caught as much as them.

Jamal Murray helped choose up the slack, however the Nuggets’ facilities have been invisible. The double-big lineup labored nicely for the Celtics.

The Celtics ought to win this sport with Jokic sidelined, they usually discovered a solution to do exactly that.

4. A 15-0 run made the distinction.

Whereas dominating a whole sport may be enjoyable, the truth is that the Celtics actually simply want one nice stretch to win most video games.

They performed comparatively nicely many of the night time, particularly within the first quarter, however a fourth-quarter flurry finally made the distinction.

Christian Braun tied it at 93 on a 3 with 8:32 left, then the Celtics used a 15-0 burst over the subsequent four-plus minutes to grab command. All 5 Celtics scored within the stretch, highlighted by a 3-pointers from Vacation and Al Horford.

That killer intuition that has been absent at instances lately returned on this one.

5. They made a degree within the paint.

Per statistician Dick Lipe, the Celtics had a minimum of 60 factors within the paint, 25 factors off turnovers and 20 second-chance factors for simply the third time since 2020.

Boston made a concerted effort to assault the basket (see: Nikola Jokic). Denver tried to beat Boston at its personal sport, by taking a barrage of three’s, and it virtually labored. However the Celtics wore the Nuggets down with their dribble-drives, athleticism and dimension.

6. A contented Vacation, certainly.

Lipe famous that the Celtics are 47-2 all-time when Vacation scores a minimum of 14 factors. He completed with 19 towards Denver and seemed for his offense a bit greater than normal.

Vacation has a novel capability to resolve how aggressive to be primarily based on what the sport wants. On this one, with Derrick White out, he took 12 pictures – which he’s solely carried out one different time since that uncommon 8-for-26 night time towards Memphis.

7. A bit help goes a good distance.

Yet one more from Lipe: The Celtics have gained 24 straight when racking up a minimum of 30 assists.

Jaylen Brown had a game-high eight – his most since Dec. 21 towards the Bulls – and is now averaging a career-high 4.7 on the season.

Brown has steadily improved his passing capability all through his profession, and it’s been on show greater than ever up to now this season. He set the tone Tuesday, and the remainder of the Celtics adopted go well with.

“Every sport supplies a special lesson,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla advised reporters. “Tonight, it was the flexibility to grasp one another and to play for one another on the offensive finish and clearly proceed our physicality defensively.”

8. Talking of Jaylen, you’ll get a kick out of this one.

Brown unintentionally kicked a fan’s beer onto the ground within the fourth quarter. The beer was maybe a bit too near the road, but it surely was undoubtedly Brown who did the kicking.

It wasn’t fairly a Larry David tripping Shaquille O’Neal fiasco, but it surely did require a protracted pause and many ice clean-up close to mid-court.

Brown then helped the Celtics put the sport on ice down the stretch.

9. Sam Hauser is approaching The Little Man.

Sam Hauser is quietly making his approach up the Celtics’ all-time 3-point record. After a 3-for-5 exhibiting Tuesday, he’s now thirteenth all-time with 419 3’s.

He handed beloved Walter McCarty, who had 417. Subsequent up is Isaiah Thomas, who has 460.

Hauser’s teammates, Payton Pritchard, Horford, Brown and Tatum, are all within the high 10. Passing Larry Hen (eighth, 649) isn’t out of the query.

10. Now, they will’t let up.

It is a good psychological train for the Celtics. These wins are necessary, however all of them depend the identical within the standings as the subsequent three video games.

With the Kings, Pelicans and Raptors on the horizon, it might behoove the Celtics to behave as if they’re nonetheless enjoying the very best within the West.

That is the time to maintain the depth excessive and construct momentum.