Mile High Sports

Denver Nuggets fall to Boston Celtics in blowout fashion in Abu Dhabi preseason game

Ryan Blackburn

Mar 7, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Boston Celtics forward Xavier Tillman (26) defends on Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) in the first half at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics battled in the second game of their preseason matchup in Abu Dhabi this morning. It wasn’t nearly as competitive by the end as the first matchup, with the Celtics winning 130-104 behind an overwhelming three quarter run.

Nikola Jokic led the way for the Nuggets with 20 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Julian Strawther, filling in as a starter for Michael Porter Jr., added 17 points.

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum went to work for the Celtics, finishing with 21 and 17 points respectively. They were flashing their isolation games throughout the day, and the Nuggets struggled to earn stops against the top tier scoring wings on most possessions.

Julian Strawther and Vlatko Cancar started the game in place of Porter and Gordon. That perhaps forced Jamal Murray to look for his shot early, and he was successful getting to spots where he was comfortable hitting shots. Nikola Jokic was also very aggressive early, scoring 11 points in the first quarter, including a three-pointer.

Without five of their top nine rotation players, Denver’s lineups struggled scoring in the halfcourt, especially on the bench. The Nuggets ran Hunter Tyson, Zeke Nnaji, and Dario Saric as their primary bench options in the first half, and the group was fortunate to draw fouls and get into the bonus early. The bench shot 7-of-9 from the free throw line in their minutes but just 4-of-11 from the field and 0-of-5 from three and struggled to generate good looks.

When Jokic and Murray returned in the second quarter, the Nuggets stabilized a bit. Jokic continued playing aggressive and kept the Nuggets in it though. He finished the game with 20 points, seven rebounds, and three assists in his 18 minutes, making some incredible shots and plays while looking like the best player in the world once again.

Overall, Denver trailed 67-60 in the first half, the competitive portion of this game. Unfortunately for the Nuggets, the game got out of hand in the third quarter when Jokic and Murray sat. The Celtics starters played the first few minutes, and the reserves continued the onslaught. Boston outscored Denver 42-16 in the third quarter, and the Nuggets looked very rough on both ends. Without either Murray or Westbrook setting the table, Denver struggled to generate any shots. The defense didn’t look like it was where it needed to be either.

By the fourth quarter, both sides were playing their deep reserves. Julian Strawther came back in and made some nice plays, but he was pulled after a few minutes as both teams got a closer look at their rookies and deep bench lineups. Trey Alexander and Jamhir Young looked solid for Denver, but Jalen Pickett really struggled.

Here are the important takeaways from today:

Nikola Jokic is ready to go

Through two games of preseason, Nikola Jokic is playing great basketball. He’s moving a bit slowly in transition, but when he’s in position offensively, he’s been as dynamic as ever. The shots he made today were very impressive, and he still has the flashy passes in the bag.

That’s honestly the most important thing for Denver. Jokic is going to win the Nuggets a lot of games in the regular season by himself. The way he controls the pace, takes advantage of opponent weaknesses, and is now taking it upon himself to score more consistently has been very interesting. Jamal Murray will need to aid him a bit more in the scoring department in the regular season, but there’s a very real chance that Jokic sets a new career high for points per game this year. The team is set up for him to have to get buckets sometimes, and he appears willing to oblige.

The Nuggets bench is (very) shallow

There was a thought early on that Jokic might not have to do as much carrying of Nuggets lineups this season with the additions of Russell Westbrook and Dario Saric to the bench unit. The Nuggets need those non-Jokic minutes to go well. They were solid in the first game but showed some weakness with the deep reserves.

In the second game, very little worked out for Denver. Strawther was solid, and Saric had his moments. Unfortunately, most of Denver’s other reserves didn’t contribute a lot to Denver’s bench today, especially those that might have a chance to play in the regular season. Hunter Tyson got on the glass with 10 rebounds in 30 minutes but was a -28 with some defensive miscues. Zeke Nnaji had two points and two rebounds in 21 minutes. Vlatko Cancar started today and really struggled. He had zero points, three rebounds, three assists, and five fouls and couldn’t keep up defensively with the perimeter speed and athleticism of Boston.

The other factor is the point guard spot. Jalen Pickett was flat out bad. He has struggled to gain consistency and confidence at the NBA level, and that has affected things for him in a big way. 1-of-8 from the field and 1-of-6 from three is one thing. The bigger issue for me is he can’t go anywhere off the dribble. He’s often forced to pick up his dribble after a slow, methodical drive that doesn’t get near the rim, and that hurts the offense a lot. The Nuggets need a guard that can force the defense to rotate, and Pickett just hasn’t been able to do it so far.

Do the Nuggets have enough to win most games? Sure. Is it going to get really complicated if they suffer any prolonged injuries or absences? Absolutely.

Final Rotations

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