Final: Celtics 111, Nuggets 110

DENVER -- After blowing a 20-point first half lead, the Celtics managed to squeak to their second road win in their last three games, a 111-110 victory over the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center on Monday night. Will Barton had a chance at a game-winning jumper on the game's final possession, but he airballed a 3-pointer and the putback from Trey Lyles was too late. It was a bizarre sequence, especially considering the Nuggets had a timeout to use in that spot.

Kyrie Irving scored 12 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter of the win, while Jayson Tatum added 20 points for the shorthanded visitors. However, it was another pair of Celtics that proved to be big down the stretch for the C's as Al Horford connected with Jaylen Brown in the corner for a go-ahead 3-pointer with 33 seconds remaining that ultimately proved to be the game-winner.

The Celtics wrap up their road trip with a 2-2 record and head back home to Boston to host the Knicks on Friday night.

GAME: No. 51 of 82
WHO: Celtics (35-15) vs. Nuggets (26-23)
WHEN:  9:00 EST
WHERE:  Pepsi Center
RADIO: 98.5 the Sports Hub
TV: NBC Sports Boston, NBATV
BOX SCORE: ESPN.com

Projected Starting Lineups:

Celtics
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Al Horford
C: Aron Baynes

Nuggets:

PG: Jamal Murray
SG: Will Barton
SF: Gary Harris
PF: Nikola Jokic
C: Mason Plumlee 

Second Half Notes

• A back and forth to start the third quarter on the offensive end for both teams. Nuggets scored 15 points in the first five minutes though which drew a timeout from Brad Stevens after some shoddy transition defense.


• C's tried to get Jaylen Brown involved early with a couple of plays called for him but he only converted one of three shot attempts.


• Aron Baynes got a bit shot happy as well (2-of-4) but one of those attempts was an ill advised with left hook that missed everything.


• Terry Rozier got the early call for Jayson Tatum once again.


• The C's offense really started to fall apart with Tatum left the game though, as the Nuggets jumped out to a 21-10 run to start the frame and erase an 11-point halftime lead.


• Luckily, the bench unit for Boston was able to steady the ship for the final four minutes of the quarter, with Rozier and Morris hitting some big buckets to keep pace with a high powered Nuggets offense that scored 36 points in the third.


• The Celtics woke up again to start the fourth quarter in large part due to Kyrie Irving. Stevens came back with the point guard early and he scored six straight points at the eight minute mark to lead a 6-0 charge and take the lead.


• Some nice minutes for Theis (a pair of 3s) but he picked up five quick fouls in just 19 minutes.

• Brad Stevens starts with his usual starting five but wastes no time getting Terry Rozier into the game for Tatum after Gary Harris hit a 3 early against Tatum. That's a tough matchup speedwise for the rookie, so smart adjustment by Stevens.


• C's offense showed nice flow immediately, with good ball movement and plenty of open looks from beyond the arc. Kyrie Irving was a perfect 3-of-3, while Tatum added five points after his early rest.


• Nice job staggering by Brad Stevens early as he adjusted his rotation to account for the lack of reliable guards. With Kyrie Irving and Al Horford getting early rests, Stevens packed his lineup with his best scorers (Tatum, Morris, Brown) at the end of the frame, which helped the C's add to their league. That group moved ball well and had enough options to keep Nuggets defense honest.


• 7-of-11 shooting from 3-point range in first quarter. Marcus Morris led all scorers with nine points, including a pair of 3s.


• Rozier was moving at full speed and playing with energy all over the court. No signs his sprained right ankle was slowing him down.


• Thought before the game Jarell Eddie or Kadeem Allen could get a chance at real minutes but Stevens opted for a super size lineup instead, opting on Theis, Morris and Ojeleye for bigger minutes than usual. Matched up well against the Nuggets bigger bench lineup.


• Irving continues to perform at an absurd level right now offensively. He scored 15 first half points, while dishing out three assists and is shooting 76 percent from the field over the last couple games.


• Marcus Morris and Trey Lyles get into a little scuffle before halftime, resulting in a double technical for both players.

• Terry Rozier will play but Shane Larkin was a late scratch with a sore knee. With Marcus Smart (hand) sidelined as well, the Celtics will have two-way player Kadeem Allen with the team to provide some depth at the end of the bench. Shane Larkin should see big minutes, while Jarell Eddie, Allen and Abdel Nader all could get a chance against the Nuggets guard heavy lineups.


• The Nuggets started two true centers in Plumlee and Jokic and Brad Stevens reflected on how that strategy has evolved across the NBA in recent years. "I think the shooter at 5 is now what going small means," he said. "These guys start the double bigs. They start Plumlee and Jokic and there have been many times you see Lyles playing the 5 on the second unit. Obviously Lyles’ ability to score the ball, shoot it from deep, that’s the way the league is going with regard to stretching it, especially on that second unit. That’s what we had in Kelly the last few years, being able to almost change how we were playing because of the way you play with the second group. I’d say that interestingly enough, probably people aren’t going as small on the perimeter, so downsizing per se."


• The Nuggets are one of the best home teams in the NBA (19-6 overall), which will be a stiff challenge to overcome for the Celtics at the end of a four-game road trip. The Celtics squeaked out a shootout win against them at the Garden back in December. "They're a really good basketball team," he said. "They've been an absolute offensive juggernaut against us the last few times we've played them and we're just going to have to play a lot better. It has nothing to do with when the game is scheduled, what part of the road trip, how excited you are to be home and all that stuff. It's the fact you are playing really good teams and tonight is no exception."


• Former Cavalier Richard Jefferson now is a bench forward for the Nuggets and raved about his ex-teammate's impact in Boston before the game, while also poking fun at Kyrie Irving's earth philosophy. "You're talking about winning Rookie if the Year. You're talking about being a multiple-time All-Star. You’re talking about winning a World Championship, winning a Gold Medal and winning a championship and hitting a Game 7 [shot]. Where was he not thriving in that situation? So for him to be in a new situation and to continue to thrive, I don't think that's really a surprise and/or shocking or even really newsworthy, to tell you the truth. I think that man would have gone pretty much anywhere. He could be playing on the flat side of the planet and he would probably be the best ballhandler and one of the best guards."