Jamal Murray notched 35 points, Nikola Jokic scored 34 points, and the Denver Nuggets handed the Boston Celtics their 1st home defeat of the campaign, 102-100, at TD Garden.
The Serbian finished with 12 boards and 9 assists to lead the reigning NBA champions to end Boston’s streak of 20 consecutive wins at TD Garden. It was the 1st of the 2 regular-campaign matchups between organizations that are favorites to meet in the NBA Finals. The 2nd match will be in Denver on March 7th.
BIG ONE IN BOSTON ☝️#MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/gQLHtyeFHh
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 20, 2024
Jayson Tatum had the opportunity to even it in the final seconds, but he missed a 1-legged fadeaway off the rim. Tatum finished with 22 points and 8 boards, Derrick White scored 24 points, and Kristaps Porzingis notched 21.
The match was highly energetic, featuring 13 lead changes and 8 ties. Nuggets erased a 6-point halftime trail with a 12-4 run at the start of the 3rd quarter. The Celtics answered with a 9-0 run to retake the lead and carried an 82-81 lead into the 4th quarter.
NUGGETS SNAP THE CELTICS’ 20-GAME HOME WINNING STREAK‼️ pic.twitter.com/9THceKMVNe
— ESPN (@espn) January 20, 2024
Denver will face Wizards in the D.C. on Sunday, while Boston will play against the Rockets in Houston on the same day.