BOSTON — For just a moment, a loose basketball was unclaimed in the lane, representing an opportunity that had eluded the Nuggets all game: to tie the game.
They had gotten the stop. Jaylen Brown had missed in the paint. But the rebound was batted around, and Derrick White came swooping in from the perimeter for a second-chance floater. It gave the Celtics a five-point lead with 53.7 seconds remaining in a 110-103 loss for Denver on Sunday.
The Nuggets (39-22) finished their Eastern Conference road trip with a 2-2 record against four playoff teams.
On a day when Jayson Tatum struggled to score, Brown picked up the slack with 22 points, often hunting Jamal Murray on isolations and post-ups. White, the Denver-area native and CU alum, added 17 points including the critical bucket.
Murray only attempted four shots in the first half then got going for 26 points and seven assists, every one of them vital to keeping his team’s head above water. But he turned it over on the next possession while down five, securing the loss.
Christian Braun added 24 points. Nikola Jokic went for 20 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.
Denver mixed up its auxiliary starting lineup with Aaron Gordon missing his second consecutive game to recover from a left ankle sprain. On Friday in Detroit, Michael Malone started Zeke Nnaji at power forward but mentioned the possibility of going small with Michael Porter Jr. at the four as well. That’s the look he went to in Boston, with Russell Westbrook joining the lineup in a backcourt with Murray and Braun.
Nnaji was able to play off the bench despite also spraining his left ankle in Detroit, an injury that occurred during a first-quarter loose ball, he told The Denver Post.
Meanwhile, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla started Luke Kornet for the first time since Feb. 8, trying a double-big lineup against Jokic even without Kristaps Porzingis available. Al Horford was a major factor, contributing 19 points on 7 of 12 shooting.
Boston steadily assembled a 20-point lead in the first half, spraying 3s and taking away the paint from Denver. Westbrook and Braun were invited to shoot. Both struggled to convert from the perimeter. But Braun started chipping into the deficit late in the half, creating his own shot off the dribble to lead a 9-0 Nuggets run. He led all scorers at the break with 16.
The Celtics answered with their own 9-0 run from the last possession of the half and the first three possessions after the break. Malone took a timeout. Before opening tip, he had highlighted the need to “make sure your players are awake, ready to go” ahead of rare matinee games.
“All you had to do was step outside this morning. It woke you up really quick. It’s freezing out here,” Malone had joked before getting to the real point. “… This team can jump all over you. With their ability to make shots, make 3s, they can build a big lead. Do you have the poise and the mental toughness to stay with it?”
The Nuggets stuck with it. They tightened up defensively, allowing them to hang around just long enough for Murray to get into a rhythm. He buried a floater and a midrange step-back to complete a 13-3 push in the last four minutes of the third. Denver was within six — but facing a crucial stretch without Jokic.
Julian Strawther wasn’t able to play with the bench unit after going down with a leg injury in the third. He was unable to rise to his feet without help from teammates. Jalen Pickett played the first stint of the fourth quarter instead.
The Nuggets almost survived to Jokic’s return. They were down 88-84. The last minute without him was a near-death sentence, though. Sam Hauser knocked down a transition drive-and-kick 3-pointer to bring the house down with 8:11 to go, highlighting a 6-0 burst.
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