Game ID: 22300586
Denver Nuggets @ Boston Celtics
Friday, January 19, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET
TD Garden, Boston, MA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
BOS 32 29 21 18 100DEN 31 24 26 21 102
BOS vs DEN ScoutingBOS vs DEN Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
BOS availability going into 1/11 · back-to-backOUT Queta missed 3 since 1/06, returns tonight: 13 min (113% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/13 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 1/11 after 3, 13 min since (113% of 11)
NEW Horford 28 to 33 min over the last 3
BOS availability going into 1/15 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 1/11 after 3, 13 min since (113% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/17 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 2 since 1/13, returns tonight: 12 min (108% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/19 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 1/11 after 3, 12 min since (111% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/21 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 1/11 after 3, 12 min since (111% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/22 · back-to-backBACK Queta back 1/17 after 2, 8 min since (69% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/25 · 2 days' restBACK Queta back 1/17 after 2, 8 min since (69% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/27 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 1/17 after 2, 7 min since (59% of 11)
NEW Kornet 15 to 20 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 1/10 · 2 days' restOUT Strawther missed 2 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Gordon back 1/01 after 2, 29 min since (90% of 32)
BACK Holiday back 1/05 after 2, 7 min since (49% of 15)
BACK Jordan back 1/07 after 3, 21 min since (194% of 11)
DEN availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restOUT Strawther missed 3 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Gordon back 1/01 after 2, 29 min since (90% of 32)
BACK Holiday back 1/05 after 2, 9 min since (61% of 15)
BACK Jordan back 1/07 after 3, 14 min since (132% of 11)
DEN availability going into 1/14 · 1 day's restOUT Strawther missed 4 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 1/05 after 2, 7 min since (49% of 15)
BACK Jordan back 1/07 after 3, 14 min since (131% of 11)
DEN availability going into 1/16 · 1 day's restOUT Strawther missed 5 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 1/05 after 2, 6 min since (39% of 15)
BACK Jordan back 1/07 after 3, 12 min since (115% of 11)
DEN availability going into 1/19 · 2 days' restOUT Strawther missed 6 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Jordan back 1/07 after 3, 12 min since (111% of 11)
DEN availability going into 1/21 · 1 day's restOUT Strawther missed 7 since 1/05, out tonight
DEN availability going into 1/23 · 1 day's restOUT Strawther missed 8 since 1/05, out tonight
DEN availability going into 1/25 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 2 since 1/21, returns tonight: 12 min (82% of 15)
OUT Strawther missed 9 since 1/05, out tonight
DEN availability going into 1/27 · 1 day's restOUT Strawther missed 10 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 1/25 after 2, 12 min since (82% of 15)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 112, shooting 44 percent and 42 from three, 26 free throws a game; Brown at 24 and Tatum at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 117, shooting 55 percent and 42 from three, 24 free throws a game; Murray at 23 and Jokić at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-5 a night and Boston minus-2 and the turnovers, Denver giving it away 15 times a game to Boston's 10. Call it Boston 118, Denver 114, Denver keeping it close.
1/11 @ MIL 102-135 — BOS notes
BOS lost 102-135. BOS shot 37% (34 of 91) to MIL's 57%, 9 of 35 from three, and went to the line 30 times to MIL's 16 — 25 points from the stripe to their 13. The glass went 31-54 against them. Pritchard led with 21 (6 of 13, 2 of 9 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Hauser added 15, Brissett 13. Q4 was theirs, 32-24, the deficit cut from 41 to 33, but the other 3 periods went 111-70 against them. Holiday's -31 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/13 vs HOU 145-113 — BOS notes
BOS won 145-113. BOS shot 54% (51 of 95) to HOU's 40%, 24 of 47 from three. Brown led with 32 (11 of 15, 4 of 6 from three, 6 of 10 at the line); Tatum added 27, Pritchard 19. The hinge was Q3, 43-28: a lead of 11 became 26, and the lead reached 36. White was the night's best plus/minus at +29.
1/15 @ TOR 105-96 — BOS notes
BOS won 105-96. BOS shot 40% (33 of 82) to TOR's 40%, 16 of 39 from three. BOS turned it over 12 times to TOR's 7. White led with 22 (7 of 18, 5 of 11 from three); Holiday added 22, Tatum 19. The hinge was Q1, 29-25: from level to 4 ahead. Pritchard was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
1/17 vs SAS 117-98 — BOS notes
BOS won 117-98. BOS shot 47% (42 of 90) to SAS's 42%, 18 of 38 from three. The glass went 54-41 for them. Tatum led with 24 (9 of 21, 3 of 8 from three); Holiday added 22, Brown 21. The hinge was Q2, 40-20: a lead of 5 became 25, and the lead reached 30. Hauser was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
1/19 vs DEN 100-102 — BOS notes
BOS lost 100-102. BOS took 8 more shots (89 to 81), fed by 12 offensive rebounds, but shot 43% to DEN's 52%, 14 of 44 from three. BOS turned it over 2 times to DEN's 9. White led with 24 (9 of 18, 5 of 12 from three); Tatum added 22, Porziņģis 21. Q2 was theirs, 29-24, but the other 3 periods went 78-71 against them. They led by as many as 12. Holiday's -12 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/21 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 123, shooting 44 percent and 28 from three, 26 free throws a game; Sengun at 24 and Ja. Green at 16 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 109, shooting 44 percent and 40 from three, 23 free throws a game; Tatum at 20 and Brown at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 40 percent from three to Houston's 28 and the defense, Boston allowing 109 a night to Houston's 123. Call it Boston 116, Houston 112, Houston keeping it close.
1/22 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; Irving at 33 and Hardaway Jr. at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Exum (8 straight). 4 days' rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 103, shooting 46 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Tatum at 22 and Porziņģis at 21 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 103 a night to Dallas's 122 and the glass, where Boston has been plus-2 a night and Dallas minus-7. Call it Boston 117, Dallas 114, Dallas keeping it close.
1/25 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 97 a night and allowing 107, shooting 42 percent and 30 from three, 20 free throws a game; Butler III at 20 and Herro at 20 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Jaquez Jr. (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 103, shooting 44 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Tatum at 24 and Porziņģis at 23 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 37 percent from three to Miami's 30 and the turnovers, Miami giving it away 15 times a game to Boston's 10. Call it Boston 111, Miami 106.
1/27 vs LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 105, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; Tatum at 26 and Porziņģis at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 113, shooting 52 percent and 44 from three, 22 free throws a game; George at 21 and Leonard at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Zubac (5 straight), Tucker (27 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 105 a night to the Clippers' 113. Call it Boston 118, the Clippers 112.
1/10 @ UTA 111-124 — DEN notes
DEN lost 111-124. DEN shot 46% (37 of 81) to UTA's 55%, 13 of 33 from three. Jokić led with 27 (8 of 9, 10 of 12 at the line); Murray added 17, Gordon 12. Q4 was theirs, 33-25, the deficit cut from 21 to 13, but the other 3 periods went 99-78 against them. Murray's -27 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/12 vs NOP 125-113 — DEN notes
DEN won 125-113. DEN shot 56% (50 of 90) to NOP's 47%, 14 of 33 from three, and got to the line 15 times to NOP's 22. DEN turned it over 15 times to NOP's 8, and NOP turned those into 9 steals. The glass went 48-35 for them. Jokić led with 27 (11 of 17); Murray added 20, Porter Jr. 20. The hinge was Q1, 37-25: from level to 12 ahead, and the lead reached 22. Murray was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
1/14 vs IND 117-109 — DEN notes
DEN won 117-109. DEN shot 65% (46 of 71) to IND's 47%, 10 of 20 from three. DEN turned it over 21 times to IND's 13, and IND turned those into 11 steals. Porter Jr. led with 25 (9 of 15, 7 of 11 from three); Murray added 25, Jokić 25. The hinge was Q2, 32-29: from level to 3 ahead. Gordon was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
1/16 @ PHI 121-126 — DEN notes
DEN lost 121-126. DEN took 13 more shots (89 to 76), fed by 16 offensive rebounds, but shot 51% to PHI's 57%, 12 of 29 from three, and got to the line 25 times to PHI's 34. The glass went 46-32 for them. Jokić led with 25 (11 of 20); Porter Jr. added 20, Murray 17. Q3 was theirs, 26-21, but the other 3 periods went 105-95 against them. Porter Jr.'s -12 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/19 @ BOS 102-100 — DEN notes
DEN won 102-100. DEN shot 52% (42 of 81) to BOS's 43%, 8 of 31 from three. DEN turned it over 9 times to BOS's 2. Murray led with 35 (15 of 21, 3 of 7 from three); Jokić added 34, Porter Jr. 13. The hinge was Q3, 26-21: the deficit went from 6 to 1. DEN trailed 55-61 at the half and won the second half 47-39. Jackson was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
1/21 @ WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 117, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Poole at 21 and Kuzma at 17 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Gafford (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 114, shooting 53 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Jokić at 28 and Murray at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-7 a night and Washington minus-5 and the arc, Denver at 39 percent from three to Washington's 35. Call it Denver 118, Washington 115, Washington keeping it close.
1/23 @ IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 121, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Turner at 17 and Hield at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 110, shooting 54 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Jokić at 31 and Murray at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-10 a night and Indiana minus-5 and the defense, Denver allowing 110 a night to Indiana's 121. Call it Denver 118, Indiana 116, Indiana keeping it close.
1/25 @ NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 101, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Brunson at 35 and Randle at 23 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Robinson (23 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 110, shooting 53 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Jokić at 31 and Murray at 25 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 101 a night to Denver's 110. Call it New York 113, Denver 108.
1/27 vs PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 112, shooting 48 percent and 31 from three, 19 free throws a game; Jokić at 33 and Murray at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 115, shooting 49 percent and 33 from three, 34 free throws a game; Embiid at 42 and Maxey at 23 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Melton (6 straight), Morris Sr. (2 straight), Covington (11 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-7 a night and Philadelphia minus-6 and the line, where Philadelphia takes 34 free throws a game to Denver's 19. Call it Denver 115, Philadelphia 114, Philadelphia keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
BOSAH A. Horford
DW D. White
JB J. Brown
JH J. Holiday
JT J. Tatum
KP K. Porziņģis
LK L. Kornet
PP P. Pritchard
PO Porzingis
SH S. Hauser
DENAG A. Gordon
CB C. Braun
JM J. Murray
JO Jokic
KC K. Caldwell-Pope
MP M. Porter Jr.
NJ N. Jokić
PW P. Watson
RJ R. Jackson
BOS/DEN the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Murray and Jokic help Nuggets hand Celtics their first loss at home this season, 102-100
BOSTON -- — The Denver Nuggets felt they let a winnable game slip away in the closing minutes during a narrow loss at Philadelphia earlier this week.
They found themselves in a similar situation late against one of the NBA's top teams and made sure not to let it happen again.
Jamal Murray scored 35 points, Nikola Jokic finished with 34 and Denver held on to hand the Boston Celtics their first home loss of the season, 102-100 on Friday night.
“Both teams were countering each other,” Murray said. “Both throwing haymakers and we were able to have the final punch.”
Jokic added 12 rebounds and nine assists to help the defending NBA champions end the Celtics' streak at 20 home victories. It was the first of two regular-season meetings between teams with sights on representing their respective conferences in the NBA Finals. They play again in Denver on March 7.
Jayson Tatum had a chance to tie it in the closing seconds, but he missed a one-legged fadeaway off the rim that was contested by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope . He finished with 22 points and eight rebounds. Derrick White had 24 points and Kristaps Porzingis added 21.
“I think I kind of rushed it, and that's on me,” Tatum said. “I had more time than I gave myself.”
Jokic, the two-time NBA MVP, feasted on a Celtics defense that opted not to double-team him for most of the game. He was efficient, connecting on 14 of 22 field attempts. It also didn’t stop him from finding his teammates, as he had nine of his assists in the first three quarters. Murray also played solid, going 15 of 22 from the field.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone said it was a needed effort against a Boston defense that entered ranked third in the league in defensive efficiency.
“They played for themselves and they played for other people,” Malone said. “It was high-level basketball from two All-Star players.”
It was even more impressive by Jokic, who was playing in the aftermath of the sudden death of Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milosevic on Wednesday. Milosevic coached Jokic in Serbia.
Murray said Jokic's response on the court while absorbing the emotions of Milosevic's passing have been “amazing.”
“The last couple of days, just been supporting him, comforting him, giving him a hug,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Nikola went out there and he honored Dejan's memory and his legacy, by playing at the level he played at. Not easy to do with a heavy heart. But Nikola is a special person."
The game was played with high energy throughout, featuring 13 lead changes and eight ties.
Denver erased a six-point halftime deficit with a 12-4 run to open the third quarter. Boston responded with a 9-0 run to retake the lead and carried an 82-81 lead into the fourth.
Murray hit five of his first six shots in the final period to put the Nuggets in front 95-91. Boston pushed back with a 7-0 run, capped by Brown’s driving layup.
Jokic scored coming out of a timeout. Following two empty Boston possessions, he put the Nuggets ahead again with a short hook in the lane.
Jokic missed an awkward stepback 3, but Michael Porter Jr . was there to put it back in. Tatum then got free for a driving dunk to cut Denver’s lead to 101-100.
A shot-clock violation gave the ball back to Boston with just over a minute to play.
White misfired on a 3 and Porzingis was called for a foul on the rebound, but Aaron Gordon missed his corner 3-point attempt on the other end. Tatum rebounded, drove the length of the floor and got up a layup that rolled off the rim.
Gordon was fouled and hit his first free throw. A double lane violation was called on his missed second attempt, resulting in a jump ball with 17.1 seconds left.
Boston won the tip and got it to Tatum, who was trapped. But he was able to call a timeout with 13.4 seconds remaining.
The Celtics nearly lost the ball when play resumed before taking another timeout with 4.9 left to set up their final shot.
Boston took a 61-55 edge into the half after a fast-paced opening 24 minutes.
UP NEXT
Nuggets: Visit the Washington Wizards on Sunday.
Celtics: Open a three-game road trip Sunday at Houston.