The Denver Nuggets defeated the Boston Celtics 115-109 in a convincing victory over the team with the best record in the NBA.

In an important rematch between the two best teams in the NBA, the Nuggets and Celtics certainly put on a show. Jamal Murray made a buzzer beating three at the end of the first quarter. Nikola Jokic beat the buzzer with a bank shot a la Tim Duncan before halftime. The Celtics fought back in the second half and made things interesting, but Jokic and the Nuggets were simply on another level tonight. The Nuggets created great shot after great shot in the second half, and even if they didn’t make everything, the Nuggets put enough pressure on the Celtics to win convincingly.

It was an impressive atmosphere, made doubly so that many Celtics fans were in the building. Michael Malone made sure to play all the hits in his postgame presser.

“You’ve got to give the Celtics fans credit. They always come out strong. But you know what we say. They can take that L on the way out, baby.”

Jokic finished the game with 32 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, and one turnover. He was sublime, shooting 11-of-18 from the field and 10-of-10 from the free throw line. The degree to which Jokic controlled and manipulated every possession was so impressive, directing traffic consistently and identifying where the help was coming from the post. Jokic got more aggressive scoring after the first quarter and put a ton of pressure on the Celtics interior defense. When he caused the help, he either kicked the ball out to a shooter or lobbed an alley-oop to Aaron Gordon.

Gordon was dynamic as a finisher around the rim tonight. The outside shooting isn’t perfect, but there were so many offensive sequences punctuated by a Gordon lob above the rim or finish through traffic. He may have had the most impressive putback dunk of his Nuggets career late in the fourth quarter tonight.

“One of the best in-game dunks I’ve seen on a putback,” shared Malone on Gordon’s dunk. “That was just an amazing play right there.”

It wasn’t as if Boston rolled over for Denver though. Jaylen Brown in particular was tremendous, a dynamic creator off the dribble hitting an impressive array of jumpers, floaters, and layups. Brown dropped 42 points and 13 rebounds to try and keep the Celtics in the game, and Kristaps Porzingis added some impressive shotmaking and spacing with 24 points and 12 rebounds of his own.

But the Nuggets remained comfortable, even in the clutch moments when the offense had some hiccups, particularly from Jamal Murray. He wasn’t at his best in the closing minutes, taking away from what had been an impressive Murray performance for the first 42 or so minutes of the contest. Murray finished with 19 points and eight assists, but he shot just 7-of-18 from the field and had five turnovers, including a couple of critical errors that the Celtics used to nearly flip the game.

That’s where Jokic comes in though. The Nuggets posted him up on the right block and at the nail nearly every single clutch possession, and Jokic generated some great shots for himself and teammates against the third ranked defense in the NBA, according to Cleaning the Glass. The Nuggets posted up Jokic on Porzingis at every single opportunity, and if the Celtics decided to switch, the Nuggets posted up those matchups too. It was the best way to close the game, and the Nuggets won a close one with one of the best teams in the NBA.

The other major contributor to tonight’s game? Peyton Watson.

Watson’s energy and defense were contagious. He was all over the floor, making impactful plays both on and off the ball. His ability to fly in from the weak side and block a shot he has no business blocking is the kind of flash play that gives Denver an edge. He locked in on the glass in the second half as well, made a three-pointer, and even finished through traffic for a transition dunk. Watson’s mid-range jumper was on display as well, and he continues to show that he’s more than just a defensive option. This was a moment for Watson.

 “Second half, he gets four defensive rebounds, has some tremendous defensive possessions, blocks at the rim,” Malone said of Watson. “When Peyton’s at his best, he’s using his size, length, athleticism to be a disruptor defensively.”

“I shoot for the stars. Always been a big dreamer,” Watson shared on his moments skying for blocks.

So, what kind of ramifications does this game have on Denver’s title defense?

They were never that shaken to begin with, but it’s clear how the Nuggets respect the Celtics. They brought attention to detail, scouted Boston’s tendencies well, and played with intensity and focus throughout the contest. Denver’s defense was locked in and rarely gave up easy buckets as a result. The Celtics had to earn everything they got.

But the Nuggets had to earn everything too.

“They have basically answers for everything,” Jokic shared about Boston postgame. “Matchup wise, defense wise, offense wise. They’re a really well built team, and they’re playing really good. They’re the best team in the NBA.”

The Celtics threw several coverages at Jokic and Murray tonight. Murray was disrupted a bit more this time around, but Jokic seemed unbothered by and large. He simply adjusted his plan, generated shots for others, and worked his way into the paint to generate hook shots, layups, and free throws. It was a simple plan played to perfection.

 When both of these teams throw everything at the other team, it’s fun basketball to watch. The Nuggets came out on top, and it happened when they shot just 4-of-21 from three-point range. That’s Denver’s margin for error shrinking, but if the Nuggets shot 8-of-21 instead, they might have won this game going away. If these two teams were to meet in an NBA Finals, Denver can’t expect to win games when they shoot that poorly from distance against one of the highest volume outside shooting teams in recent memory.

Of course, when you ask Peyton Watson, he believes wholeheartedly in Denver’s chances to repeat as champions.

“It just goes with our preparation on a daily basis. You can see the hunger and seriousness in guy’s eyes. It’s getting about that time in the year where every game means something. Every game is a chance to get better.”

The Nuggets are pushing for a higher seed. They want homecourt advantage. Every game down the stretch matters, and it will be interesting to see whether there’s enough focus for Denver to take advantage of easier games going forward. Time will tell, but as it stands right now, the Nuggets are in a good spot.

And it’s games like tonight that should offer them the most confidence. Was this the best team the NBA could offer to face Denver in their building? If so, the Nuggets have a legit chance to repeat.

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