Everything you need to know about the Celtics' 108-95 win over the Nuggets with BSJ insight and analysis
HEADLINES
The two Js lead a statement win: The Nuggets arrived in Boston with the No. 1-ranked defense in the NBA on Friday night and the Celtics young guns picked them apart for the better part of 48 minutes. Jayson Tatum finished with a team-high 26 points and 7 rebounds while Jaylen Brown added 21 points and 7 assists himself, helping the hosts pull away in the second half for a commanding double-digit win. Kemba Walker added 19 points and 3 assists in the highly efficient offensive performance for the C’s as all five starters shot above 50 percent from the field including a returning Marcus Smart (4/5 FG). It was the third straight win for the C’s overall who now improved to 9-0 at home and 16-5 on the season. Nikola Jokic had a game-high 30 points for the Nuggets.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics closed the third quarter against a flat-footed Nuggets squad with a 16-4 run, highlighted by a monster Jaylen Brown fast-break dunk and a stepback Jayson Tatum 3 to close the frame, pushing a 10-point lead into blowout territory for the final frame.
TWO UP
Enes Kanter: The big man bounced back from a DNP-CD to score eight points in just seven first-half minutes off 3-of-3 shooting. Facing off with a slow-footed big man in Jokic is the ideal matchup for the big man.
Jaylen Brown: The swingman continued his hot shooting stretch in the first quarter, scoring 11 of his 21 points in the frame on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from 3-point range. He also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and has now scored over 20 points in three straight games.
TWO DOWN
Grant Williams: With Marcus Smart back in the starting five, the power forward was sent to the bench until garbage time as Semi Ojeleye earned the lion’s share of minutes at reserve power forward over him. He also missed three 3s during his short stint, keeping his 3-point less streak intact.
Nuggets’ 3-point shooting: Denver opened the first three-quarters shooting a pitiful 3-of-24 from downtown as the C’s did a good job scrambling their defense to cover shooters all over the floor.
TOP PLAY
Good lord Jayson pic.twitter.com/l5z9iGcOBy
— Max Carlin (@maxacarlin) December 7, 2019
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
It’s probably time to shorten the Celtics' rotation: It’s going to happen anyway next week once Gordon Hayward gets back into the lineup, but it feels a bit unnecessary right now for Brad Stevens to go 10 or 11 players deep with most of the regulars playing so well. With Carsen Edwards continuing to struggle with his shot (0-of-1 in seven minutes), he still was given seven first-half minutes. It makes sense to want to develop some of the young guys but his play right now isn’t really justifying the consistent minutes he’s been getting. It will be interesting to see if he is sent up to Maine for some reps once Hayward is back in the fold. For now, Wanamaker, Ojeleye, Kanter and Rob Williams are really the only guys that have shown they are worthy of action off the bench (with Grant Williams deserving some spot time as well).
This team has navigated the ship incredibly well without Hayward: It seems like just a matter of days now until Hayward returns to the lineup, but the C’s have fought through a tough part of the schedule to go 9-4 in his absence. With Tatum and Brown both playing some of the best basketball of their careers at the moment, the Celtics’ have asserted their status as a clear-cut contender at the top of the Eastern Conference with plenty of ammo to make an upgrade or two to the bench. Everyone is playing well enough with the second unit right now where there are no pressing needs as the trade market opens up but it’s safe to say after a 16-5 start that the present may be as important as the future now when it comes to making a run for a trip to the NBA Finals.