An NBA team’s visit to Denver usually features some familiar talking points, starting with the altitude and reigning MVP Nikola Jokić.
But on Sunday night, the Boston Celtics threw out the cue cards, shooting 57 percent from the field and nailing 19 three-pointers, going on a 24-2 second quarter run and blowing out the Nuggets, 124-104.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 60 points, scoring 30 points apiece for a second consecutive game. Payton Pritchard was again perfect from the field, pouring in 17 points on 6-of-6 shooting (a sweltering 5-of-5 from deep). Grant Williams kicked in 13 points for Boston, while Rob Williams was +36 in his 26 minutes on the floor.
Jokić led Denver with 23 points on just 8-of-23 shooting.
The Green led 33-27 after one, despite a dozen first quarter points from Jokić. But the Denver big man missed his next seven shots and the Celtics capitalized, extending the halftime lead to 25.
The Nuggets got going offensively in the third, but the C’s still tallied 30 points in the frame and stretched their lead as high as 28 points in the second half.
Winners of three straight on the road, the Green are 21-4 since the end of January. Boston is now a season-high 16 games over .500, tied with Philadelphia – who lost to Toronto – for third in the Eastern Conference.
The final game of the road trip is tomorrow night in Oklahoma City. Tipoff is 8:00 p.m. with coverage starting at 7:30 p.m. on 105.7 WROR.
Sean Sylver can be heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub. Talk hoops with him on Twitter @TheSylverFox.
