4 takeaways as Boston Celtics beat Nuggets after nearly blowing big lead

The shorthanded Celtics held off a second half rally from the Denver Nuggets for a 110-103 victory at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon. The win prevented Boston from suffering their first three-game losing streak of the year.

It was the second straight hot start for Boston at home, who led by as many as 20 points in the first half after hot starts from Jaylen Brown and Al Horford despite playing without Kristaps Porzingis (illness) and Jrue Holiday (mallet hand). Denver fought back in the second half though, using a balanced scoring attack to trim Boston’s lead down to three points in the final two minutes of the game but the Celtics closed the door late with some timely baskets from Al Horford (19 points, 8 rebounds) and Derrick White (17 points).

The victory gives Boston a season sweep of the Nuggets.

Jaylen Brown led the way for Boston with a team-high 22 points and eight assists while Jayson Tatum flirted with a triple-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. Nikola Jokic nearly had a triple-double for the Nuggets in the setback, posting 20 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists.

Here are four takeaways from the Celtics’ win on Sunday afternoon:

Celtics bench bounces back in big way: Boston’s reserves were outclassed by the Cavs on Friday night, getting outscored by 33-6 margin in points on their way to blown 22-point lead. The tide turned on Sunday night aided in part by Sam Hauser’s return to the second unit. Payton Pritchard bounced back from a rough shooting night with nine first half points while Neemias Queta got back in the rotation following Luke Kornet’s into the starting five, chipping in a big way on the offensive glass. Boston’s reserves got the best of Denver’s bench with a 28-10 edge in points setting the stage for a crucial win at TD Garden.

Al Horford turns back the clock: The veteran big man was coming off a nearly 40-minute outing on Friday night but looked as fresh as ever in a battle with Nikola Jokic. The Denver big man wasn’t at his best after turning his ankle on the opening tip but Horford did a terrific job as a primary defender against him, keeping his scoring in check in the post. Offensively, Horford took advantage of Boston’s double big alignment by using his size in mismatches down low, putting up 13 points in the first half, the most he’s had in a half since Christmas. Horford has not done much damage inside the arc this season so it was refreshing to see him still have that club in his bag even at age 38. He also added a huge steal and big dunk in the final minute to help put the game away for Boston.

Jayson Tatum keeps flirting with triple-doubles: The Celtics All-Star had only tallied two triple-double this season entering Sunday’s game but he continues to be capable of pulling one off nearly every game now for the past few weeks. Tatum has now finished with 10 rebounds and at least seven assists in four of his last six games now, carrying a heavy burden for a Celtics squad with his improved play making. The trouble for Boston on Sunday was his shotmaking (4-of-15) as he was unable to keep pace with his usual efficiency, which led to a sluggish second half for Boston offensively.

Celtics squander big lead again but fight back: One game after letting a 22-point lead slip away against the Cavaliers on Friday night, the Celtics couldn’t sustain another great start again. The hosts watched a 20-point lead evaporate down to four points early in the fourth quarter thanks to a defensive drop-off and turnovers piling up in the second half. Ultimately, Boston was able to recover enough with Nikola Jokic on the bench to retake command with him on the bench. The Nuggets trimmed the lead down to three points once more with just over a minute on the clock but a pair of big buckets from Al Horford and Derrick White put the game away.

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