In a decisive preseason matchup, the Boston Celtics defeated the Denver Nuggets 130-104, marking Denver's second loss of the preseason. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting, while Jayson Tatum contributed 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting. Sam Hauser had an impressive performance, scoring 15 points and grabbing 8 rebounds, finishing 6-of-7 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point range. For the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic scored 20 points, and Julian Strawther added 17 points in the defeat. This is Celtics consecutive second win against Nuggets in the Abu Dhabi games, the Nuggets were defeated 107-103 in their first match.
1st Quarter
The game started with the Celtics struggling offensively, going 4-of-13 from the field and 2-of-8 from three. Jamal Murray shone for the Nuggets, scoring 7 of their first 13 points. However, Jaylen Brown found his rhythm early, driving to the basket for an and-1 transition bucket. With Al Horford absent, Neemias Queta stepped in as the first big off the bench. Jayson Tatum’s jump shot looked sharp, contributing to a 14-4 Celtics run.
Nikola Jokic answered back, scoring 9 consecutive points for Denver. At the end of the quarter, Boston led 34-29, with Tatum leading the team with 10 points.
2nd Quarter
The Celtics' bench began the second quarter strong, with Sam Hauser scoring 8 consecutive points, including two three-pointers. Jaden Springer extended the lead to 9 points (46-37) as Denver struggled with their three-point shooting (2-of-14).
As starters returned, Hauser continued his hot streak, hitting his third straight three. Jaylen Brown showcased his strength with an emphatic dunk. By halftime, Boston maintained a 67-60 lead, with Brown scoring 16 points and Jokic leading Denver with 20 points despite their 3-of-18 shooting from beyond the arc.
3rd Quarter
Starting the third quarter with an unconventional lineup, Brown and Tatum quickly pushed the lead with aggressive plays. Following a technical foul on Brown, Derrick White’s three forced a Denver timeout, with the Celtics leading 78-64.
After the timeout, Tatum and Hauser kept the momentum going, and by the end of the quarter, the Celtics dominated with a score of 109-76, shooting 38-of-72 from the field compared to Denver's 24-of-62.
4th Quarter
In the final quarter, JD Davison and Drew Peterson saw their first action, with Peterson hitting a fadeaway jumper. Baylor Scheierman finally found his shooting touch, sinking a three-pointer late in the game. Despite a tough outing for Lonnie Walker, who went 0-for-4, the Celtics cruised to victory.
Next up, the Celtics return to Boston for their next preseason game on October 12, while the Nuggets will head home to face the Phoenix Suns on October 13.
Denver now sits at 0-2 in the preseason after their tough outing against Boston, where they struggled particularly from the three-point line, finishing at just 23.5 percent (8-of-34).
