Boston Celtics @ Denver Nuggets
Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 10:00 PM ET
Ball Arena, Denver, CO | Game ID: 22400507
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
DEN 25 32 26 23 106BOS 37 20 31 30 118
ESPN UpdateESPN Update
Jayson Tatum scores 29, Porzingis adds 25 as Celtics hold off depleted Nuggets 118-106
DENVER -- — Jayson Tatum scored 29 points, Kristaps Porzingis added 25 and the Boston Celtics held off the depleted Denver Nuggets 118-106 on Tuesday night as three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic sat out because of an illness.
Porzingis had 11 rebounds, while Jrue Holiday contributed 19 points. The Celtics attempted 35 3-pointers, which was well below their season average of 50.17. Instead, they outscored the Nuggets by a 60-46 margin in the paint.
Russell Westbrook had 26 points for Denver and eight turnovers. Michael Porter Jr . added 15 points and 10 rebounds as the Nuggets dropped to 10-7 at home. They were 33-8 last season.
Trailing by as many as 15 points in the first half, the Nuggets rallied to make sure the game stayed tight down the stretch. There was a momentary break with 8:56 remaining when a cup of ice spilled on the court. It took several minutes to clean up. Christian Braun followed with a 3-pointer to tie it at 93.
Boston went on a 15-0 run to help cement the win.
The game between the last two NBA champions was setting up to feature two of the top players in the league. But Jokic went from probable to questionable to finally ruled out. The Nuggets were also missing Aaron Gordon (calf).
Takeaways Celtics: Stellar defense down the stretch, including steals from Al Horford and Tatum.
Nuggets: The bench had a solid showing with Julian Strawther scoring 19 and Peyton Watson 14.
Key moment Porter appeared to be fouled by Sam Hauser going in for a dunk with 2:57 left in the third quarter and Denver trailing 80-77. The Celtics won the challenge.
Key stat There were 10 lead changes and eight ties.
Up next The Nuggets turn around and host the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, while the Celtics play at home against Sacramento on Friday.
DEN KarmaHide StintsShow StintsHide PMShow PMHide KarmaShow KarmaHide ScoresShow Scores
Who
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
BOSAH A. Horford
JB J. Brown
JH J. Holiday
JS J. Springer
JT J. Tatum
KP K. Porziņģis
LK L. Kornet
NQ N. Queta
PP P. Pritchard
PO Porzingis
SH S. Hauser
DENCB C. Braun
DJ D. Jordan
DŠ D. Šarić
JM J. Murray
JS J. Strawther
MP M. Porter Jr.
PW P. Watson
RW R. Westbrook
SA Saric
ZN Z. Nnaji
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
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