Nuggets 99, Celtics 113

Game Highlights

Photo of the Game

Glen Davis takes a jumper in the lane as he fades from right to left over two Nuggets defenders.
Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty

By Marc D'Amico
Celtics.com

Key Moment

The Celtics led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter, but as teams usually do in the NBA, the Denver Nuggets made their run.

Fueled by 10 points in only 3:24 of playing time by Carmelo Anthony, along with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the third period, Denver sliced 14 points off of that lead and headed into the final quarter trailing by only seven. That's when, as Doc Rivers said after the game, the Celtics -- and he in particular -- decided to stop being "stubborn."

Rivers decided heading into the game that he would refuse to play small ball against the Nuggets no matter what. When he continued to keep his bigs on the floor in the third period when the Nuggets went small, the Celtics paid for it and the game went from a blowout to a competitive contest in the snap of a finger. So Rivers changed his mind and decided to go small as well at the 9:26 mark of the fourth, sending out a lineup of Rajon Rondo, Nate Robinson, Michael Finley, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

When that lineup first came together, the score was 94-84 Celtics. Two minutes and 40 seconds later, that lead was up to 17 thanks to a quick 10-3 spurt, led by Pierce's five points.

At that point, the game was essentially over and the C's had rung up their sixth home win in seven tries this month, all thanks to a change in philosophy that Rivers made on the fly.

Key Box Score Line

Could we go anywhere other than Paul Pierce for this one? No, we couldn't.

The man was absolutely unstoppable yet again tonight, racking up 27 points in less than 33 minutes of playing time. He sank 10 of his 16 field goal attempts and all seven of his free throws, all while pulling down seven rebounds. When this game got close in the second half, he took over and put the team on his back and led it to victory.

Side note: On any normal night, Rajon Rondo's triple-double would have easily swiped this spot, but since Pierce's performance spearheaded the Celtics' win tonight we had to give it to him... But Rondo's 11-point, 11-rebound and 15-assist game can't go unmentioned here.

Box Score Nuggets

• The Celtics outrebounded the Nuggets 45-36, highlighted by 17 offensive boards.
• Denver committed 17 turnovers.
• Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 32 points, including 13-of-16 shooting from the free throw line.
• Rajon Rondo recorded a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 15 assists.
• Paul Pierce scored 27 points and Kevin Garnett scored 20 for the C's.
• Boston's biggest lead was 21 points, while Denver's biggest lead was one point.
• Each team's starting point guard led their team in both rebounds and assists.
• Kevin Garnett recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
• J.R. Smith scored 21 points off the bench for the Nuggets.
• Boston recorded 30 assists compared to only 11 turnovers.
• Tony Allen, who played more than 10 minutes for the first time since March 10, scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting in 19:49 of playing time
• Kevin Garnett tied a season-high with 20 shot attempts.
• Boston shot only 4-of-18 from 3-point range.
• The Celtics outscored the Nuggets 58-28 in the paint and 23-8 in second-chance points.

Quote of the Night

Doc Rivers on the contrast between the first meeting against Denver and this game: "I thought defensively overall we were just so much better, we were so much more active. And then Paul obviously was different. You know, all of them are different. They're better. They're healthier. They're feeling better."