DENVER — For the second time this week — and for the second time this season towards the Denver Nuggets — Jayson Tatum had the ball in his fingers with an opportunity to place his Boston Celtics forward within the closing seconds.
As soon as once more, Tatum did not benefit from his alternative.
With the Celtics down by two, Tatum missed a wide-open nook 3-pointer with 45 seconds to go, capping an unsightly efficiency on what turned out to be Boston’s closing probability to take the lead. After the miss, Nikola Jokic completed a 32-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist triple-double with a lob to Aaron Gordon for a dunk that prolonged Denver’s lead in its 115-109 victory.
“That nook 3, it was shot,” Tatum mentioned. “I believed it was entering into. We had some alternatives.”
That Boston (48-14) even had an opportunity to win was form of outstanding, given how listless Tatum was all through. He completed with 15 factors on 5-for-13 taking pictures to associate with 4 rebounds and eight assists. Along with that wide-open missed 3, Tatum additionally had a few essential turnovers in transition within the fourth quarter, made a number of passive drives to the rim and was typically not as concerned as he usually is.
“I believe with the dynamic of our group, when different guys form of received it entering into a rhythm, in a stream … you bought to area the ground,” Tatum mentioned when requested about his efficiency. “We at all times speak about respecting different folks’s area. If that requires being within the nook or passing them the ball, that is what we’re making an attempt to do on that possession. You bought to honor that.”
The Celtics stayed within the sport due to a sensational efficiency from Jaylen Brown, who had 41 factors, 14 rebounds, 4 assists and a couple of steals in 41 minutes. However they repeatedly price themselves with sloppy play, giving the Nuggets (43-20) a 16-6 edge in factors off turnovers, and completed 11-for-38 (28.9%) from 3-point vary.
“Simply too many errors,” Brown mentioned. “Towards group, we gotta take benefit. Turnovers, free throws, simply lacking the defensive assignments, all of that stuff, we gotta be higher at.
“And that begins with me, it begins on the high, begins with Jayson. … We made too many errors, and it price us the sport.”
The Nuggets have been ruthless in exploiting these errors, significantly Jokic, who had a second straight masterful efficiency towards Boston. His 32-point triple-double Thursday night time got here after he had 34 factors, 12 rebounds and 9 assists in Denver’s win in Boston in January.
Jokic repeatedly discovered himself in single protection towards Kristaps Porzingis and used his dimension and energy to bully himself all the way down to the basket for straightforward buckets. When Boston introduced a double group, Jokic would typically reply by hitting Gordon for a number of lob dunks, together with the one which ended Boston’s comeback hopes with 19 seconds to go.
“He is the middle that I’ve at all times, the participant that I’ve at all times dreamed of taking part in with,” Gordon mentioned of Jokic afterward. “He is somebody that sees the ground, somebody that’s tremendous unselfish. And I believe he likes simply the truth that he can simply throw it wherever and I am going to go get it.”
Porzingis mentioned he realized some issues about guarding Jokic that he’ll take into their subsequent encounter — one the Celtics hope might be in a number of months.
“He was undoubtedly in his bag tonight,” mentioned Porzingis, who completed with 24 factors and 12 rebounds. “He is simply an unbelievable basketball participant. Some issues I realized from him as we speak, truly. He is simply so good, so artful, so many issues that you do not see that he does on the ground that helps that group win. It is unbelievable.”
Like the primary assembly between these groups, Thursday’s sport had a playoff environment, as each groups performed their starters heavy minutes. That first sport was performed in a raucous however very one-sided TD Backyard, and Thursday’s sport at Denver’s Ball Enviornment nonetheless featured quite a lot of Celtics followers within the crowd.
That allowed Nuggets coach Michael Malone to repeat a line that he has used previously.
“It’s important to give the Celtics followers some credit score,” he mentioned. “They at all times come out robust. However you already know what we are saying, proper? They’ll take that L on the best way out, child.”
The Celtics misplaced their second sport in a row after a disappointing collapse towards the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, one which noticed Tatum miss a possible game-winning jumper within the closing seconds.
Thursday’s defeat was additionally the Celtics’ second loss this season to the Nuggets, whom many count on them to face in June’s NBA Finals.
Boston hasn’t performed its greatest in its two video games towards Denver, taking pictures a mixed 25-for-82 (30.4%) from 3-point vary. Tatum has shot simply 14-for-37 (37.8%) in these video games.Â
However after arising brief in each of their cracks on the defending champions, the common message from the Celtics was that for issues to alter in June, they will merely should be higher.
“That is a extremely good group over there,” Tatum mentioned. “Properly coached. They make proper performs as a rule, and you bought to beat them. You possibly can’t rely upon them to beat themselves. They’re only a actually good ball membership over there.”