NEW YORK – The Boston Celtics, the overall National Basketball Association (NBA) leaders, had been formidable at home all season – something that the Denver Nuggets took special note of.
On Jan 19, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray combined for 69 points as defending champions Denver ended Boston’s unbeaten home start to the campaign with a thrilling 102-100 victory.
A heavyweight showdown lived up to the billing with a gripping battle at Boston’s TD Garden.
The Nuggets’ victory snapped the Celtics’ 20-game unbeaten run on their home court, with Denver laying down a psychological marker in what could well turn out to be a possible NBA Finals preview.
Both two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic and Murray were in scintillating form throughout.
Jokic finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, while Murray led the Nuggets’ scoring with 35 points.
“During the season you’ve got to find ways of motivating yourself and your team, and them not having a loss at home really motivated us,” Murray, who also had eight rebounds and five assists, said afterwards.
“We just wanted to come here and bring the right energy regardless. It was good to get a win today.
“They’ve got a great team, lot of guys I’m familiar with that I’ve been playing with or against my whole life – just a lot of fun when it gets competitive and physical like that.
“Just a really good win on the road.”
Denver coach Michael Malone was proud of his two stars, saying: “They played for themselves and they played for other people.
“It was high-level basketball from two All-Star players.”
Derrick White led Boston’s scoring with 24 points, while Jayson Tatum added 22 and Kristaps Porzingis 21.
For long periods of the titanic battle, it looked as if Boston would escape with their unbeaten home record intact in a game that saw the lead change hands 13 times.
They built a big 12-point lead during the second quarter, with Tatum scoring 10 points and Jaylen Brown adding seven.
But Denver always managed to claw their way back into the contest and edged ahead 99-98 with 3min 36sec remaining after Jokic’s driving hook shot.
Tatum missed an opportunity to tie the game with an unsuccessful driving lay-up with 18 seconds left and the Nuggets held on for a gutsy victory.
Boston remain top of the Eastern Conference with 32 wins and 10 defeats, ahead of the second-placed Milwaukee Bucks (28-13).
Denver improved to 29-14 and are third in the West, behind the Minnesota Timberwolves (30-11) and Oklahoma City Thunder (28-13).
In other games on Jan 19, Cam Thomas scored 33 points and Nic Claxton added 22 and 14 rebounds as the visiting Brooklyn Nets ended a four-game losing streak with a 130-112 road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
In Orlando, Joel Embiid’s rich vein of form for Philadelphia continued as the 76ers swatted aside the Magic 124-109.
The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player delivered another barnstorming display, scoring 36 points and grabbing seven rebounds in just three quarters as the Sixers cruised past their opponents.
It marked the 19th straight game where Embiid has scored 30 points or more as Philadelphia bagged their fourth consecutive victory. AFP, REUTERS
