Three Studs, Three Duds As Celtics Impose Dominance, Defeat Nuggets

The Boston Celtics wrapped up their severe four-game road trip by facing the only team they failed to defeat last season: the Denver Nuggets.

Denver took the floor without three-time MVP Nikola Jokic (illness) while Boston was without Derrick White (illness). That still didn’t stop the Celtics and Nuggets from undergoing a competitive battle that featured a resurgence from Kristaps Porzingis and Russell Westbrook amid what could be this year’s NBA Finals.

The Celtics return home with a 3-1 start to 2025 and an improved 27-10 record after fending off the Nuggets in Denver.

Here are three studs and three duds from Boston’s 118-106 victory over Denver:

STUDS
Kristaps Porzingis
Boston’s 7-footer got off to a strong start with 15 first-quarter points to set the tone.

Porzingis was the most dominant big man in Denver, scoring 25 points with 11 rebounds to notch his first double-double this season. The 29-year-old shot 9-for-18 from the field, logged two steals and avoided a DeAndre Jordan poster dunk by rejecting the two-time rebounding leader at the rim in the fourth quarter. The “Unicorn” stumped “Lob City” from rising from the ashes, and gave the Nuggets problems throughout the night.

Russell Westbrook
Nobody was chanting “Westbrick” from Boston’s bench.

Westbrook scored a team-high 26 points for the Nuggets, most impressively by knocking down a game-high four 3-pointers. The nine-time All-Star showed flashes of his 2017 MVP self, flirting with a triple-double as Westbrook also logged nine rebounds and six assists — making up for his game-leading eight turnovers.

Jayson Tatum
It wasn’t a pretty shooting night for Tatum, but the 26-year-old did everything else to maintain an elite level of effectiveness.

Tatum scored a game-high 29 points on 11-of-23 shooting from the field — going 1-of-9 from three — while grabbing four rebounds and dishing out six assists. Boston’s franchise star also tallied two blocks and a steal, going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.

Perhaps Brandon Jennings was on Tatum’s mind?

DUDS
Boston’s second-quarter swoon
Inconsistency cost the Celtics their chances at defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, and it reappeared before halftime in Denver.

Boston let its guard down toward the end of the second quarter, allowing the Nuggets to go on a 29-14 run in the final 10:15 minutes of the frame. Denver generated 16 points from inside the paint, which alone, nearly matched all 20 points from the Celtics in the quarter. The Nuggets also beat Boston at its own game, knocking down 4-of-8 threes as the Celtics got cold and connected on only 1-of-5 threes.

It was reminiscent of the Oklahoma City meltdown, just not nearly as costly.

Payton Pritchard
Boston didn’t get much production from Pritchard’s minutes as the undersized guard was more of a liability than anything.

Pritchard didn’t have his usual hot 3-point touch. He finished with three points on 1-of-4 shooting from the field and connected on just one 3-pointer. The 26-year-old did record three rebounds and a steal but it wasn’t enough to alleviate the ice-cold offensive showing that held the Celtics back.

Boston 3-point shooting
The Nuggets expressed they wouldn’t underestimate the Celtics and their outside shooting during Monday’s practice, but it wasn’t all that necessary.

Boston continued its mediocre 3-point shooting stretch, entering the contest ranked 20th in the league in shooting from three (35.2%). That didn’t improve. Instead, the Celtics dipped even lower, going 11-for-34 (32.4%) from 3-point territory, leaving an issue unaddressed as the reigning champs return home on Friday night.