The Boston Celtics held a 26-point advantage over the Nuggets midway through the second quarter of Sunday’s game in Denver.
They seemed bound for an easy win at that point, but as C’s coach Brad Stevens warned ahead of the contest, no lead is safe against the Nuggets.
His foreboding statement proved true as Denver stormed back and cut the deficit to five points by the 8:51 mark of the third quarter.
Boston, which led 67-62 at that point, fortunately woke up and would not allow the Nuggets to get any closer. The C’s went on a 16-7 run from that point, ballooning its lead once again en route to a 121-101 win.
Isaiah Thomas, who hadn’t scored since the first quarter, fueled the run with seven points, including two impressive transition buckets during a 23-second span that gave Boston an 83-69 cushion.
“We knew they were going to make their runs, especially at home. We just stayed at it and stayed the course,” Thomas said after the game.
Boston learned its lesson after Denver’s first comeback and made sure to stay well on top of the Nuggets for the remainder of the contest.
The Celtics needed some big help in the frontcourt Sunday afternoon, and Jared Sullinger certainly delivered.
The C’s had been crushed on the boards during Friday’s contest against Utah, 51-34, but they had a much different experience on the glass this time around.
Boston outrebounded Denver 48-36, and Sullinger did much of the heavy lifting with 11 boards of his own.
Sully also had an impressive shooting performance, hitting seven of his 12 attempts from the field for 16 points. He added five assists to the effort and turned the ball over just once.
Jared Sullinger on the team bouncing back from Friday’s loss and playing with more urgency.
