Three Studs, Three Duds From Celtics Holding Off Nuggets To End Skid

BOSTON — The Celtics saw a big lead disappear and end with a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.

The Celtics looked like they were about to follow the same script Sunday against the Denver Nuggets, but this time, they closed out what they started.

Boston survived a second-half rally from the Nuggets to come away with a 110-103 win in a premier battle between NBA elites at TD Garden. The Celtics led by as many as 20 points in the game, only to see their lead get cut down to three with under two minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The win helped the Celtics, who were without Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, end a two-game losing skid and improve their record to 43-18 while the Nuggets, who entered the contest with the second-best record in the Western Conference, dropped to 39-22.

Here are three studs and three duds from the Celtics taking down the Nuggets:

STUDS
Jaylen Brown
Brown came into the contest questionable due to right knee pain but didn’t look bothered by it one bit amid a terrific performance. Brown was the catalyst for the Celtics as he netted a team-high 22 points while also doling out eight assists. He grabbed five rebounds and recorded two steals and two blocks for good measure, too.

Al Horford
It was a throwback type of performance from the veteran center. Horford played big minutes (35) with Porzingis out and he turned in 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and three steals. It was Horford’s largest scoring output since Nov. 19.

Derrick White
With Jayson Tatum scoring just two points in the final frame, the Celtics needed someone to step up. White answered the call. He scored eight of his 17 points over the final 12 minutes and came up with a couple of key buckets to keep the Nuggets at bay. White also had four rebounds, two assists and two steals.

DUDS
Torrey Craig
Craig hasn’t received much playing time since being signed by the Celtics and he didn’t help his case for more minutes Sunday. Craig scored just one point off a free throw and went 0-for-2 from the field in six minutes. He basically watched the second half from the bench aside from a very brief stint late in the third quarter.

Michael Porter Jr.
The high-volume shooter never got on track for the Nuggets, hurting their chances of picking up a come-from-behind win on the road. Porter scored just 10 points on 3-for-9 shooting in 40 minutes. His indecisiveness was apparent as several times he got caught in the air ready to shoot before passing the ball to a teammate. Surprisingly, Porter only turned the ball over once.

DeAndre Jordan
What is Jordan still doing getting minutes on an NBA contender? He provided the Nuggets next to nothing in his nine minutes. The 36-year-old center should just be in a veteran advisory role for the Nuggets, not getting playing time in a matchup of two of the best teams in the NBA. But that just shows the state of Denver’s roster and the lack of depth behind Nikola Jokic.