Nikola Jokic had 30 points and 12 rebounds despite a rough shooting night, and Denver pulled away in the second half to beat Boston on Wednesday.
Jokic shot 11 of 28 from the field and 4 of 13 from 3-point range but keyed an 11-0 run late in the third quarter that gave the Nuggets a 10-point lead entering the fourth. Denver stretched the margin to 17 midway through the final period and coasted from there.
Tim Hardaway Jr. added 14 points for Denver, which played most of the night without Jamal Murray after he exited less than eight minutes in due to illness. The Nuggets bounced back from a 1-2 stretch out of the All-Star break and remained just percentage points behind the Houston Rockets for third place in the Western Conference.
Jaylen Brown returned from a right knee contusion to score 23 points for Boston, which saw its five-game winning streak snapped. Derrick White, a Colorado native, poured in 18 of his 20 points in the second quarter, but the Celtics struggled in the thin air and shot just 35.4% from the field.
The Nuggets honored former coach Doug Moe with a tribute video during the first timeout. Moe, who won 432 games in 10 seasons with Denver and led the franchise to the 1985 Western Conference finals, died Feb. 17 at age 87.
Up next: The Celtics host the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night. The Nuggets visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.
