The Celtics did just enough to slow down Nikola Jokic when it mattered, and other observations from their win over Nuggets
Jokic #Jokic
The Nuggets entered Tuesday’s game against the Celtics without five of their top nine rotation players. But there were moments when it looked like it might not matter, because Nikola Jokic was not among the missing, and the Celtics simply had no answer for him.
But Boston, which is certainly in no position to feel sorry for any team’s absences, did enough to slow Denver’s superstar when it mattered, as it snapped out of its recent funk with a 112-99 win at TD Garden.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 27 points. He made all four of his second-half 3-pointers after going 1 for 6 in the first half. Jayson Tatum added 21 points on 6-of-18 shooting.
Jokic erupted for 29 points in the first half and finished with 43 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Observations from the game:
· The Celtics’ ball movement was much better than it had been over the past two games. Jayson Tatum started a lot of the action by passing out of double-teams, and once the Nuggets defense was on its heels the Celtics kept slinging it until they got a nice open look. Boston had 26 assists.
· With Daniel Theis out because of a sprained right index finger, Robert Williams took advantage of his extended opportunity. He had 8 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals, and 2 assists.
· Brown had a good night scoring, but his missteps with the ball have been an issue recently. He had seven turnovers and now has at least five turnovers in three of Boston’s last four games.
· Tatum said Tuesday morning that he is still experiencing some respiratory issues related to having COVID-19 last month. He has mostly struggled since returning, and in Sunday’s loss to the Wizards he was held to 6 points in 23 minutes. Brad Stevens said he thought that light workload and the extended break after the afternoon game would serve Tatum well on Tuesday night, but the All-Star still appeared out of sorts at times. He finished the first half 1 for 7 from the field, although he did have four assists. He had a pair of baskets late in the third quarter as Boston pushed its lead back to 86-75 after Denver tied the score at 71.
· Jokic had his way with the Celtics in the first half, swishing tear-drop shots in the paint, drawing fouls, and draining 3-pointers. He went to the break with 29 points on 10 for 12 shooting, including 3 for 3 from beyond the arc.
· Early in the first quarter, the Celtics put together one of the worst three-possession stretches a team could have, with about 23 seconds of scattered offense leading to desperation 3-pointers. The first two were air-balls, and the third barely grazed the rim.
· Tatum took a pair of free throws midway through the opening quarter, but 7 minutes, 24 seconds passed before he or Brown registered an official field-goal attempt. That just can’t happen.
· The Celtics had a good close to the opening quarter. After Tatum missed a 3-pointer, Aaron Nesmith tracked down the rebound and got the ball back for a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left. Denver could have held the ball for the final shot, but Tatum came up with a steal and was fouled, and his free throws sent Boston to the second quarter with a 30-26 lead.
· The Celtics bench erupted when Nesmith hit that 3-pointer. The start of the season has been a struggle for the sharpshooting rookie, but he has received a more substantial opportunity over the last two games. He has held up well with sturdy defense in both games, and on Tuesday began to find his offensive rhythm, too. After the Nuggets had sliced a 15-point second quarter deficit to 2 in the final minute, Nesmith drilled an off-balance 3-pointer from the left arc to help his team take a 59-54 lead to the break. He was Boston’s first sub off the bench in each half.
· The Celtics received a bit of a scare when Kemba Walker went down after appearing to hurt his left shoulder on a Jamal Murray screen. Boston called timeout and Walker received medical attention, but he was back on the court soon after, apparently just suffering a stinger.