Everything you need to know about the Nuggets' 115-107 win over the Celtics in quickie form.
Box Score
HEADLINES
Murray outduels Irving: In a battle of two high-scoring guards, Jamal Murray played the game of his life, putting up a career-high 48 points on 19-of-30 shooting against the best defense in the NBA. The performance outshined Kyrie Irving’s terrific night (31 points, 13-of-17 FG) as the Celtics had no answers to slowing down Murray in the pick-and-roll attack despite throwing all kinds of defensive looks at him. Ultimately, the point guard helped rally the Nuggets from an 18-point deficit in the first quarter and push the Nuggets to 96 points over the final three frames to hand Boston their second straight loss on the road trip.
Another second-quarter collapse: After building an impressive lead for the second straight game on the road in the first quarter, Boston’s offense collapsed in the second quarter. Boston’s bench unit was the culprit tonight for the woes as Marcus Morris (3-of-9) and Terry Rozier (2-of-9) helped open the door for the Nuggets to get back into the game with a 35-22 edge in the second frame, making it a new game at halftime. From there, the 9-1 Nuggets were able to ride the hot play of Murray and their homecourt edge (undefeated at the Pepsi Center this year) while the C’s could not find their outside scoring touch, going 3-of-17 from 3-point range in the second half.
Murray’s late shot at 50 rubs C’s the wrong way: Most of the media attention on this one will center around Murray hoisting up an uncontested 3 with the shot clock off in the closing seconds of the Nuggets’ win. That type of move is a big no-no as an unwritten rule in the NBA and many Celtics took exception to it after the fact, including Irving, who tossed up the basketball into the crowd in frustration after the game ended. Murray is friendly with several Celtics on the roster but the move will create a little extra juice for the team’s rematch in Boston in March.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics were able to hang tough after falling behind by double digits midway through the second half, cutting the deficit to one and two points on multiple occasions early in the fourth quarter. Murray managed to break things wide open again midway through the frame with eight straight points for the Nuggets in the midst of a 10-2 run to push the lead back up to 10. Boston got no closer than two possessions the rest of the way.
TWO UP
Kyrie Irving: The All-Star’s hot streak continued in the Mile High City, as Irving put on a one-man show in the first half, scoring 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field on his way to a 31-point performance. His contributions weren’t just limited to the offensive end, as he snagged a team-high three steals, several of which led to easy transition points for the visitors. He got roasted by Murray on defense, but the same was true for the rest of Boston’s roster.
Celtics starting unit in the first quarter: This unit has struggled on offense all year but they played their seven minutes of basketball all year to start the game, jumping all over the third-best defense in the NBA with 23 points behind incredibly balanced scoring from the entire lineup, with everyone scoring between four and six points.
TWO DOWN
Marcus Morris: His hot streak came to an end as he scored just six points and had a lackluster night on the defensive end. The Nuggets have a lot of speed at the 3 and 4 spots and those players were getting into the paint against Morris on multiple occasions, which produced some easy looks at the baskets and trips to the free throw line. Morris also went just 3-of-9 from the field and picked up a crucial technical foul in the fourth quarter during a two-possession game after a tough charge call went against him.
Rebounding: The C’s knew they would be in for a handful against the third-best offensive rebounding team in the league but their lack of hustle on long rebounds was noteworthy over the course of the evening. The Nuggets piled up 13 offensive boards through three quarters, frustrating Brad Stevens to the point that he gave Rob Williams a chance at some run. The C’s struggled with their work on the offensive glass as well, snagging just one offensive board in the first half and the discrepancy on the glass (15-7) helped offset a far superior shooting night for the C’s.
TOP PLAY
KYRIE ? pic.twitter.com/5nr2lYqw0M
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 6, 2018
