The Boston Celtics crushed the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena (124-104) and swept the regular season series (2-0).
With a dominant performance on both ends, the Celtics claimed a crucial road win in their effort to clinch the home-court advantage in the playoffs.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum decimated the Nuggets’ defense and led Boston to the triumph over Denver. The two superstars combined for 60 points (30 each) and helped the Celtics win their third straight.
On the contary, four players scored in double figures for the losing squad, with Nikola Jokic leading the way with 23 points.
The Celtics used a 24-2 run late in the second quarter to take control and never look back. Boston outscored Denver 35-16 in the second quarter, closed the first half in front by 25 (68-43) and cruised to the victory.
The Celtics extended their winning streak to three games and improved to 44-28. They have now won 19 of their last 22 games and are only 0.5 games below second-placed Philadelphia 76ers (43-26) and third-placed Milwaukee Bucks (44-27).
Boston is 3-0 on its four-game road trip in the West, which will come to an end Tuesday vs the Oklahoma City Thunder.
On the other hand, the Nuggets have now lost two straight and four in a row at home. They dropped to 42-30 and are tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for sixth in the West.
Still, Minnesota has the tie breaker, therefore Denver now holds the top play-in tournament spot. The two franchises will collide on April 1st in a high-stakes match for the direct qualification for the playoffs.
DYNAMIC DUO 🤝 Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are the second pair of Celtics teammates to each score 30+ points in back-to-back games (Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, 1988). pic.twitter.com/Y5pQwq21jb — NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 21, 2022
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