You can’t win them all, and for the Boston Celtics, that dictum became reality against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday (Jan. 7) night at TD Garden as the Nuggets, down a number of key players, still mustered the poise to outwork the Celtics on their own home court to secure the win.
Hot shooting from beyond the arc at a very specific part of the court and a late run from Denver in particular were pointed to by Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla after the loss, but not only that late run by the Nuggets. “I think in the first half, they were 6-of-7 from the corner 3,” said Mazzulla. “Some of those came off doubles, which you’re not always able to control. We’ll get back and take a look at the ones that we could get better at, especially from the corners.”
Advertisement
“But, tonight was kind of the tale of 2,” suggested the Celtics coach. “(Jamal) Murray, you’ve got to give credit to him.”
Jan 7, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla looks on during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
“We played really well, but he also had 17 assists versus the pick and roll, versus the aggressive coverages,” recalled Mazzulla. “So there’s obviously possessions that we’ll get better at, in our shifts and our rotations, but you got to give credit to them. It was a two on one for the majority of the game, and they took advantage of that.”
As for that late run by Denver that effectively sealed the win for them, he said that “obviously we had some empty possessions on offense, and they did a good job versus our aggressive pick and roll coverage, just finding the 2-on-1. Whether it was knocking down 3s or hitting the roll, they did a good job executing on the offensive end.”
Listen to “Havlicek Stole the Pod” on:
Advertisement
Blue Wire: https://tiny.ee/CdKp
iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47
YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Mazzulla cites Nuggets corner 3s, late run as key in win vs. Celtics