Final: Nuggets 96, Celtics 92 -- C's fall short in gritty comeback without Kemba

The Celtics rallied from 19 down in the fourth quarter without Kemba Walker in the finale of their west coast road trip, but the Nuggets made just enough shots down the stretch to hold on for a 96-92 victory. Boston fought back without Kemba Walker (concussion-like symptoms) in the fourth quarter, opening the frame with a 16-5 run to chip away at a double-digit Nuggets lead. Jaylen Brown had a team-high 22 points while Jayson Tatum (16 points) and Brad Wanamaker (14 points) helped the C's breakthrough against a Nuggets defense that had stifled Boston's offense all night.

The rally was not enough down the stretch however as Jamal Murray delivered a game-high 22 points including a couple key buckets late. Nikola Jokic also delivered a triple-double to help the hosts win their fourth-straight game. Boston falls to 2-3 on the road trip with the defeat, with all three losses coming by a combined eight points. The C's will now wait for more news on Walker as they head home to Boston with a couple off days before facing off against the Kings on Monday night.

First Half Notes

Kemba Walker appeared to suffer a very serious neck injury in the second quarter of Friday's game against the Nuggets. The point guard collided headfirst into Semi Ojeleye's chest while going for a loose ball. He immediately fell to the floor and remained relatively motionless for several minutes while being attended to by the Celtics training staff. He was wheeled out on a stretcher and appeared to be speaking with trainers as he was taken off the floor while given a standing ovation by the Pepsi Center crowd.

Kemba Walker was taken off the court in a stretcher after this play pic.twitter.com/i1jcJeoDwB

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 23, 2019

• The Celtics will look to finish up their five-game road trip on a winning note with a tough test in Denver. The C's lost both matchups against the Nuggets last year including a 48-point performance in Denver that led to Kyrie Irving punting a ball into the stands.


• Boston's offense will be put to the test tonight against a top-5 defense in the NBA. Denver has been particularly stingy on the perimeter by limiting opponents to 32 percent shooting from 3-point range thus far.


• Brad Wanamaker is in the midst of his best month as pro, shooting 54 percent from the field and 42 percent from 3-point range while taking over the sixth-man role for this team since Gordon Hayward went down.


• It will be interesting to see how much Enes Kanter we see tonight after he did an admirable job against Nikola Jokic in last year's Conference Semifinals. Kanter has only played 17 combined minutes in the past two games but has the type of strength and size that may be necessary to combat Jokic in the post.