Fans of the tank beware: Celtics beat the Denver Nuggets 100-99

While the Denver Nuggets held the lead for the majority of the first half they could never take advantage of the Celtics' mistakes. Whether it was turnovers or bad offensive possessions they often had chances to extend their lead into high double digits but couldn't find the bottom of the basket in those moments.

The same could be said about the C's however. Instead of driving to the basket to get the easy two they seemed poised on trying to hit three point shots to get back into the game. They seldomly fell as the Celts only shot 20% (2-10) from beyond the arc in the half.

The Nuggets went on a 7-0 run to close out the final minutes of the second quarter and brought a 48-42 lead to the locker room at the half.

But Tayshaun Prince, yes Tayshaun Prince was the real winner of the half cranking out two big blocks on Danilo Gallinari:





The third quarter saw much of the same from both teams, leading to the Nuggets extending their lead to double digits once more.

But after a series of timeouts the Celtics began to play more physical on both sides of the floor but more so on defense throwing off Denver's offensive attack. This allowed the C's to get back into the game and as a result took a 75-74 lead into the final period.

The Celtics got to the free throw line often early in the fourth quarter but with several misses from the strip allowed the Nuggets to remain in the game. Unlike earlier in the contest the Nuggets managed to take advantage of the Celtics' missed free throws and poor shooting to stay within range of a victory.

With a one point lead in the final 20 seconds of the game Evan Turner was sent to the line to shoot two free throws but came up short on both attempts giving the Nuggets an opportunity to run the floor and take the victory. Jameer Nelson managed to get a shot off before the clocked expired but was just off the mark, giving the Celtics their second victory in as many nights.

Despite the miss, Jameer Nelson looked like the one who got away, finishing with a game high 23 points tonight in his spot start for team-suspended Ty Lawson.

Avery Bradley was the Celtics top scorer notching 18 points and hitting tough shots down the stretch to secure the win.

Full Boxscore:


The Celtics continue their trip out west Sunday night against the NBA leading Golden State Warriors on CSNNE.

Photo credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
Boxscore: celtics.com

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