Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
What Stood Out from the Celtics' Win vs. the Nuggets: Tatum and Brown Combine for 60 as Boston Blows Out Denver
The Celtics earned their 19th win in the last 22 games by beating the Nuggets 124-109. After combining for 62 points in Friday's win against the Kings, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown teamed up for 60 on Sunday, putting them in rarified air.
The Celtics are still in fourth in the East, but they've moved into a virtual tie with the third-seeded Sixers, and they're only half a game behind the second-place Bucks.
Now, for what stood out from Boston's victory that capped off its sweep of a three-game trip to the west coast.
Boston Breaks the Game Open in the Second Quarter
The Celtics went on a 15-0 run in the second quarter that grew into a 24-2 stretch, helping them go up by over 20 and prevent Denver from gaining another lead.
Boston outscored the Nuggets 35-16 in the frame, shooting 13/19 (68.4 percent) from the field, including 7/12 (58.3 percent) from long range. The Celtics assisted on nine of those makes. Conversely, Denver shot 22.2 percent from the field and from beyond the arc.
A prime example of Boston's stellar two-way play in the second quarter is when Grant Williams blocked Nikola Jokic's shot from behind, leading to a three for Tatum.
The Celtics' second-quarter domination led to Nuggets' coach Michael Malone electing to start the third frame with their second unit.
Jaylen Brown Attacking the Basket
Brown continues doing an excellent job getting downhill. Sometimes, that came from building momentum as the Nuggets' big men dropped back when he was coming off a screen. Other times, Brown beat defenders one-on-one by dropping his shoulders and exploding to the rim. He also generated points by pushing the pace in transition. The same goes for him cutting to the hoop, then attacking off the catch.
Brown, who shot 12/19 (63.2 percent) from the field, also went three for six from beyond the arc, and he produced several mid-range buckets, including the play below where he attacks Davon Reed off the dribble.
Along with scoring 30 points, Brown grabbed six rebounds. Of course, he's also an integral part of the top-ranked defense in the league, which against the Nuggets, lived up to its reputation for playing physically, being versatile, and being well connected. For his two-way effort, he earned a plus-minus rating of plus-27.
Jayson Tatum Moves into Third on the Celtics' All-Time 3-Point Makes List
Tatum's 30 points came courtesy of an 11/17 (64.7 percent) performance that included converting six of his ten attempts from beyond the arc.
On one of those four misses, he nearly banked in a three from half court to beat the second-quarter buzzer, but it didn't stay down. However, on his previous three, Tatum dished to Robert Williams and relocated for an open three from above the break that propelled him into the top three on the Celtics' all-time made threes list, surpassing Ray Allen.
Most of Tatum's threes on Sunday came from feasting on open looks, stemming from the Nuggets' big men dropping back as he came off high ball screens.
As one would expect, the three-time All-Star also had plenty of strong drives to the rim. In the fourth quarter, Tatum helped close out Sunday's win by moving without the ball, then throwing down an emphatic jam as Nikola Jokic, arriving late, made a wise business decision, choosing not to jump.
Like Brown, Tatum grabbed six rebounds, and he had seven assists, matching Marcus Smart's game-high and his two-way impact on a night where the Nuggets shot 40.2 percent from the field, including 14/39 (35.9 percent) on threes, helped him register a plus-22 plus-minus rating.
Tatum's performance earned him MVP chants from a road crowd filled with Celtics fans that made their presence felt from the opening tip. When asked about that after the game, he said: "It's a great feeling. Like I said, you expect to get that at home, but when you travel and see all the Celtics jerseys and t-shirts and hoodies, and you get MVP chants on the road, it's a great feeling."
Celtics Keep the Reigning MVP in Check
A terrific effort from Al Horford and excellent team defense led to Jokic requiring 23 shots to score 23 points. Even when the Joker produced 12 points in the first quarter, it came on three of eight (37.5 percent) shooting. He generated five points on free throws in the opening frame, but he didn't get back there after that.
The Celtics also prevented him from carving them up with his passing as he only dished out four assists.
Payton Pritchard Playing with Confidence
Pritchard continues to capitalize on the opportunity created by trading Dennis Schroder at the deadline. On Sunday, the second-year guard scored 17 points, the third-most on the team, going 6/6 from the field, including cashing in on all five of his three-point attempts.
Giving Pritchard an increased role with more consistent minutes has given Boston another impactful player off the bench who provides shooting, facilitating -- he had three assists in Sunday's win -- and an underrated defender who competes hard on that end of the floor, too.
Celtics Able to Keep Al Horford's Minutes Down in Blowout
The decisive nature of Boston's win on the first night of a back-to-back helped limit Horford's minutes. Though he had a very good game defensively, and his contributions as a facilitator helped keep the ball popping as the Celtics assisted on 29 of 47 made field goals (61.7 percent), they might feel even better about him playing 24 minutes, logging 12 in each half.
Post-Game Quotes
Ime Udoka said the reason Marcus Smart went to the locker room late in the game is he had a sinus issue and that they flared up during the game.
Udoka also spoke about the Celtics' continued success on the road: "Well, we had a lot of Celtics fans here tonight. You could hear that on the first basket. Same thing in Sacramento. But our guys are playing defensively, sharing the ball and staying together."
Jaylen Brown also spoke about the support the Celtics received on Sunday. "Coming out tonight, it felt almost like a home game. We love to feel that energy, and it definitely helped us put on a show tonight.”
Brown also said: "We've just gotta take it one game at a time and stay healthy; (the) sky's the limit." He later added: "We're ready to get to the playoff stage and turn things up."
While discussing the Celtics' growth offensively, Jayson Tatum said: "We're just trying to take the things we work on in practice and do them in the games. It's good to see those things working in games."
Tatum also spoke about his partnership with Jaylen Brown, saying: "I wouldn't say we have satisfaction. But we knew what we were capable of; We just had to do it in games."
Up Next
Tonight's game was the last one of the Celtics' trip out west. They're headed to Oklahoma City for a matchup against the Thunder on Monday night. Tip-off is at 8:00 ET. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.
Further Reading
What Stood Out from the Celtics' Win vs. Kings: Boston Doesn't Succumb to Potential Trap Game
[Photos and Videos] Celtics Raise Kevin Garnett's #5 to the Rafters
Profile on Celtics' Latest Signing, Nik Stauskas
Profile on Celtics' Newest Signing, Matt Ryan
The Trials, Tribulations, and Growth of Ime Udoka in His First Year as Celtics' Head Coach
