– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
Follow @Koiki_Sport Follow @ALOST_Official
BOSTON — We are sure that Boston sports fans would not want us to reference anyone associated with the New York Yankees, so it was a relief that the Celtics didn’t have to hear any Yogi-isms after today as they recovered after a disappointing loss a couple of nights ago and made sure that it was not déjà vu all over again.
A number of clutch shots from Derrick White was punctuated by his free throw-line floater with 54 seconds remaining as the Celtics let most of a 22-point lead slip but held on for a 110-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets inside TD Garden in a Sunday matinee. Jaylen Brown led Boston with 22 points while Jayson Tatum had 17 points with 11 rebounds and seven assists.
Boston snapped a two-game losing streak, and has not lost three in a row since March 3-6, 2023.
After blowing a 22-point first-quarter lead and losing to the NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers, the Celtics saw another sizable lead shrink rapidly against the Nuggets, who like the Celtics, have the second-best record in their conference. Denver had trailed 59-39 late in the first half, but went on a 10-run at the end of the third quarter that cut their deficit to just five, 82-77, as it went into the fourth down just six after the Boston free throw.
The Celtics once again played without Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, which did allow veteran big Al Horford to start and he stepped up with 19 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Jamal Murray scored five straight points — a three-pointer and a layup — for the Nuggets to make it a 102-99 game with 1:15 remaining. Boston missed three shots and turned the ball over once in between Murray’s baskets. Brown then drove to the basket and missed a shot, but White grabbed the offensive rebound and eventually scored on that free throw line jumper to make it a two-possession game. At the other end, Murray threw the ball away, and Horford finished the fast break.
Nikola Jokic had 20 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists for the Nuggets. Murray scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, and Christian Braun scored 24 for Denver, which has lost three of its last five games.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Sunday afternoon’s game, with photos taken by ALOST staff photographer Erica Denhoff. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page, Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 31 pictures in total.
Follow @Koiki_Sport Follow @ALOST_Official
