The Denver Nuggets will attempt to hand the Celtics their first home loss of the season when the teams meet Friday night in Boston.
Boston became the 13th team in NBA history to start a season 20-0 at home by beating the San Antonio Spurs 117-98 Wednesday. The Celtics made 18 of 38 shots from 3-point range, including 13 of 19 in the first half.
The Celtics were without starting center Kristaps Porzingis (right knee inflammation) and starting point guard Derrick White (left ankle sprain) against the Spurs. Jayson Tatum scored 24 points and Jrue Holiday made six 3-pointers during his 22-point performance for the Celtics, who have won three in a row.
The Nuggets, who won their first NBA championship last season, are coming off a 126-121 loss at Philadelphia on Tuesday. That dropped Denver’s road record to 11-10 on the season.
The game was tied 78-78 at halftime. Denver led 104-99 after three quarters before being outscored 27-17 in the fourth. Five of Denver’s 11 turnovers came in the final 12 minutes, when Philadelphia had 13 free throw attempts.
Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic collected 25 points and 19 rebounds in the loss. Jokic had a career-high 11 offensive rebounds, all of which came in the first three quarters. He is averaging 25.5 points, 11.9 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game.
This will be Denver’s second stop on a five-game road trip that also includes contests against Washington, Indiana and New York. It also will be the first of two regular-season games between the Nuggets and Celtics, with the teams scheduled to meet in Denver on March 7.
