Jaylen Brown scores 33, but Celtics fall to shorthanded Nuggets

The Celtics noticed their five-game profitable streak snapped by a short-handed Nuggets staff that claimed a 114-110 victory whereas enjoying with a well-recognized sense of goal on Wednesday. 

Listed below are the takeaways. 

The Nuggets are spectacular

Earlier than we get to the failures of the Celtics, we should always comply with Joe Mazzulla’s lead and provides the Nuggets their well-earned due.

“There’s positively possessions that we’ve got to be higher at in our rotations, however you’ve obtained to offer credit score to them,” Mazzulla stated. “They got here collectively as a staff. [Jamal Murray] was an awesome playmaker, they usually knocked down photographs.”

Murray picked the Celtics aside — 22 factors and one of many higher 17-assist performances you’ll ever see. Generally, stat takers are overly beneficiant to passers, however his have been impressively moral. On the 17 passes Murray dished out to pile up his gaudy numbers, the Nuggets solely put the ball on the ground as soon as. He collapsed the protection masterfully and dished out of double-teams, repeatedly discovering teammates for wide-open 3-pointers. 

“Clearly you need to get out of his hand, however I feel a variety of these form of led to layups or 3s and people form of damage you,” Derrick White stated. “So possibly higher stress on the ball or no matter it could be, however they made a variety of actually good performs.”

In the meantime, the Nuggets’ 3-point taking pictures put the Celtics’ to disgrace, which doesn’t occur quite a bit. The Nuggets completed 20-for-44 from behind the arc (in distinction to the Celtics’ 15-for-38 efficiency), principally due to Peyton Watson’s 6-for-7 outburst. Watson appears to be like like a possible star because the Nuggets attempt to cope with the absence of Nikola Jokic. 

“I assumed our protection was tremendous,” Jaylen Brown stated. “I feel they simply made a variety of photographs. Acquired to offer some credit score to them. They shot, what, 20 of 44 from three? I feel that was one among their higher taking pictures performances of the 12 months from three. 

“Peyton Watson, a variety of these guys, engaged on their recreation. They shot the ball extremely nicely from downtown tonight. I assumed our protection did its job, however they’d an excellent taking pictures night time.”

Affordable individuals can disagree about how good the Celtics’ protection was, however none of it ought to take away from what the Nuggets achieved of their final two video games. Previous to beating the Celtics, in addition they upended the 76ers — two very spectacular wins from a staff that has been outscored by 6.5 factors per 100 possessions with Jokic off the ground to this point this season (and has outscored groups by 12.2 factors per 100 possessions when he performs). 

A lot of the NBA world spent the primary two months of the season anointing the Thunder as back-to-back champions, and the Thunder actually may win all of it (though, in case you missed it, they’ve now misplaced back-to-back video games to groups which can be aimed squarely on the lottery). 

However, the Nuggets are not any joke, and for a Celtics staff that is aware of a factor or two about profitable within the face of adversity, their spirited two-way efficiency on Wednesday could have seemed fairly acquainted. 

The Nuggets gained with a giant run

The Celtics surrendered a 14-0 run on the worst doable time. 

With 8:12 remaining within the fourth quarter, Anfernee Simons tipped himself an offensive rebound, then twisted his approach underneath the basket to place in a tough reverse layup, which put the Celtics up 90-87.

For the following 4:25, the Nuggets fully smothered the Celtics. They didn’t rating, and the Nuggets put up 14 factors to take a 101-90 lead earlier than Brown lastly snapped it with a three-point play. The Celtics made a too-little, too-late run to trim the lead, however they have been by no means an actual menace down the stretch.

“I feel they form of simply went to that switching lineup and we weren’t in a position to get the appears to be like that we need to get,” White stated. “So simply obtained to be higher at that and study quite a bit from it and attempt to see what we do higher.”

Jaylen Brown managed to have a nasty 33-point recreation

It’s not usually {that a} participant can put up a disappointing 33-point, seven-rebound, four-assist statline, however Brown wasn’t a very brilliant spot in Wednesday’s loss regardless of his manufacturing. 

For one factor, Brown was 4-for-6 from deep (which is nice!), however his environment friendly, high-volume 3-point performances usually translate to large scoring nights. As an alternative, he missed 13 photographs across the rim and within the mid-range, which have been his greatest scoring areas this season. 

Extra damaging, nevertheless, have been Brown’s seven turnovers — a disappointing whole from a participant who has been quite a bit sharper along with his deal with and passing. Even worse: three of these seven turnovers got here after the Nuggets went up 99-90 with lower than 5 minutes remaining. Down 9 at that stage, the Celtics had primarily no margin for error.

Brown, who went 1-for-3 from the free-throw line, additionally spent a lot of his postgame complaining in regards to the officers, bringing them up in three completely different solutions. 

“I’m one of many extra aggressive gamers within the league,” Brown stated. “I drive quite a bit, and the whistle didn’t equate to that. Perhaps they needed to make an emphasis, I don’t know. However I’ll modify for the following recreation and form of see how the sport is being referred to as, as a result of if you happen to don’t get a few of these calls, they usually seem like dangerous photographs, and it form of snowballs on protection.”

Wednesday was not a banner night time from Brown, who — in fact — has earned himself a variety of grace by placing collectively a season stuffed with banner nights. 

Nonetheless, with a tough January forward of the Celtics, they’ll want to ensure Brown doesn’t get so weary that he can’t preserve the lofty ranges which have propelled the Celtics so far.

Anfernee Simons stayed scorching

The Celtics squandered one other good efficiency from Simons, who has began 2026 extremely popular. Simons hit three 3-pointers, and he tossed in a few robust layups over heavy contests. 

Simons’ timing couldn’t be higher for the Celtics; he has given them one of the best form of robust resolution to make. 

On the one hand, they might preserve a real scoring menace off the bench who can break video games open almost singlehandedly, and certainly, that’s beginning to look an increasing number of like a viable plan of action because the Celtics rise within the standings — why mess with the success and chemistry of this stunning contender?

Then again, this has been a pleasant reminder to the remainder of the NBA that Simons is a licensed bucket-getter who can create photographs for himself whereas embracing a very new system and position with none drama in anyway. In case your staff may use that form of participant, a name to Brad Stevens may not be the worst plan of action.

Neemias Queta had one other massive recreation

The Celtics additionally squandered one other massive recreation from their massive man, who scored six factors and pulled down 20 rebounds, 10 of which have been offensive. 

Maybe most spectacular: He performed simply 24 minutes. 

What’s subsequent

The Celtics might want to bounce again shortly because the video games preserve coming quick and livid in January. They tackle the Raptors on Friday at 7 p.m. earlier than the Spurs go to on Saturday at 8 p.m. They are going to journey to Indiana on Monday.