Nuggets beat Celtics for 1st time this campaign at TD Garden

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 1^st of the 2 regular-campaign matchups between organizations that are favorites to meet in the NBA Finals. The 2^nd match will be in Denver on March 7^th.

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.

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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 3^rd quarter. The Celtics answered with a 9-0 run to retake the lead and carried an 82-81 lead into the 4^th 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.