Celtics Defeat Nuggets 118-106 Despite Jokic’s Absence

DENVER — The Boston Celtics secured a 118-106 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night, despite the absence of reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, who was ruled out due to illness. The Nuggets struggled to fill the void left by Jokic, who averages 31.5 points, 13 rebounds, and 9.7 assists this season.

Denver coach Mike Malone acknowledged the challenge of playing without Jokic, quipping, ‘We don’t have anybody averaging 32 [points], 13 [rebounds], and 10 [assists], so it changes things a little bit.’ The Nuggets have been outscored by 14.8 points per 100 possessions without Jokic this season, the largest differential in the NBA.

For nearly three and a half quarters, the Nuggets kept the game competitive, tying the score at 93 with less than nine minutes remaining. However, the Celtics broke away with a decisive 15-0 run, led by Jayson Tatum‘s 29 points and Kristaps Porzingis‘s 25 points and 11 rebounds. Porzingis, who has been working his way back from offseason ankle surgery, delivered one of his strongest performances of the season.

‘I thought he was big-time tonight at both ends of the floor,’ Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said of Porzingis. ‘For this season, for the way smalls are going on him, I thought it was the most physical that he’s been.’

Russell Westbrook led the Nuggets with 26 points, but his eight turnovers and Boston’s defensive focus on Jamal Murray, who scored 19 points, proved costly. The Celtics’ victory marked a successful 3-1 Western Conference road trip, helping them rebound from a frustrating loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier in the week.

‘I think this road trip, I thought we became a better team,’ Mazzulla said. ‘So, we’ve just got to keep that up.’