The C's get 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting from Ray Allen, one of four Celtics in double figures on the night. Rajon Rondo adds 13 assists, and the Celtics cruise to another win.
The Nuggets struggle to figure it out without Carmelo Anthony. Ty Lawson comes off the bench and explodes for 24 points, but the Nuggets can't get anything going inside, and the defense from George Karl's squad is spotty at best.
The C's hit the road to face the Sixers on Thursday night. They'll look for win No. 9 in a row.
Fourth quarter, 2:32, Celtics 100-82: The Celtics are running up the score, and the Nuggets don't seem too happy about it. Tempers flare under the Celtics' basket between Nene and Big Baby, and the officials need a timeout to sort things out.
The C's are minutes away from polishing off another solid blowout win. That'll be eight straight, for those of you keeping score at home.
Fourth quarter, 5:45, Celtics 90-75: Here's the night's stat line for Nate Robinson and Marquis Daniels combined: 27 minutes, zero points, 0-for-4 shooting, three rebounds, three assists, four turnovers.
It's really impressive that the C's have this lead despite getting so little from their bench beyond one guy (Glen Davis). The C's have been a six-man team tonight, and those six men have been outstanding.
Fourth quarter, 7:18, Celtics 90-73: Ray Allen knocks down a sweet outside jumper to push the Celtics' lead to 15, and then Glen Davis makes a big hustle play to get to the line for two shots. He drains them both.
The C's have opened the fourth quarter on a 10-4 run. They're ready to slam the door on these Nuggets.
Fourth quarter, 9:45, Celtics 84-69: Glen Davis just fought J.R. Smith for a loose ball like his life depended on it. And he got it.
The C's are competing with energy in this fourth quarter. They're taking nothing for granted — even with a 15-point lead, they're working hard for this one.
End of third quarter, Celtics 80-69: You can never count the Nuggets out — they've got too many weapons that can hurt you if you let your guard down. But with an 11-point lead and one quarter to play, the Celtics have to feel pretty good.
Ray Allen now has 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting for the Celtics, while Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett continue to do their part as well. The Nuggets are hoping an active army of bench scorers and a flurry of late jumpers can lead them all the way back.
Smith and Lawson are now a combined 12-of-22 for the Nuggets off the bench. Not bad. Not bad at all.
Third quarter, 2:44, Celtics 75-65: The Nuggets' shots have stopped falling, and the C's now have a chance to put this game away.
It's shocking that Denver is trailing by double digits in this game despite a 34-9 edge in bench scoring. Ty Lawson and J.R. Smith are trying to lead the Nuggets all the way back, and that's not gonna happen.
The Nuggets used to be 5-for-9 from 3-point range; they're now 6-for-17. That's a sharp downturn.
Third quarter, 5:43, Celtics 70-63: Kevin Garnett has 197 rebounds in 20 games heading into tonight. He needs 13 boards in this one to reach double figures for the season. So far, he's got nine, and there's still plenty of basketball left.
KG has been a beast inside for the Celtics tonight, killing it on the glass and shutting down the Nuggers' post presence. Thanks to his efforts, the C's maintain a seven-point lead midway through the third quarter.
Third quarter, 8:13, Celtics 65-59: Rajon Rondo finds Paul Pierce inside for a quick two. Pierce bangs it inside and scores on Nene. No fear.
Pierce now has 15 points on the night; Rondo has 11 assists. Just another day at the office for those two.
Third quarter, 9:28, Celtics 61-57: George Karl mixes up his lineups in the third quarter, sending Al Harrington and Ty Lawson out there instead of starting forwards Forbes and Williams.
It works out. The Nuggets are on a 5-2 run to start the quarter, with Arron Afflalo carrying the scoring load.
Halftime, Celtics 59-52: They're called the Big Three for a reason. The Celtics get 43 points from their three veteran leaders, giving them a seven-point lead over the visiting Nuggets at halftime.
Ray Allen has 18 points, Paul Pierce 13 and Kevin Garnett 12 for Boston. Rajon Rondo has nine assists, making life easy for the Celtics offensively.
The Nuggets have gotten 13 from Ty Lawson and 12 from J.R. Smith off the bench. They're making ends meet in creative ways with Carmelo Anthony off the floor.
Second quarter, 2:44, Celtics 53-50: The Celtics have gotten a little lazy in the second quarter, giving the Nuggets a window to sneak back into the game. It helps that Denver is 5-for-9 from 3-point range.
The C's have gotten a combined 37 points from their Big Three.
The Nuggets have gotten 29 from their bench three — Lawson, Smith and Al Harrington.
Second quarter, 4:46, Celtics 48-42: Denver's high-scoring bench duo of J.R. Smith and Ty Lawson has made this a game again. As expected, the Nuggets are refusing to die quietly.
Lawson is still young and undeveloped, but he's a fantastic athlete with the potential to be a star in this league. He's got 11 points in this game on 4-of-6 shooting, using his speed to generate easy buckets.
The Celtics need to pick up the defensive intensity.
Second quarter, 7:00, Celtics 42-35: The Nuggets are now on a 9-2 run, as J.R. Smith and Al Harrington have drilled outside shots to make this game competitive again.
This is what the Nuggets do. They're so loaded with athletic scorers that you can never count them out. Fall asleep on them, and they'll inevitably make a run.
Doc Rivers is starting to send the big boys back in. Here comes Kevin Garnett.
Second quarter, 9:16, Celtics 39-24: The Celtics' second unit is doing well defensively so far, forcing the Nuggets to settle for jumpers. Meanwhile, the C's are getting layups with Glen Davis and Semih Erden inside.
The Nuggets have a lot of athletes that can create shots, but they're lacking their best player and they're exhausted at the end of a back-to-back. At the moment, they look very beatable.
Second quarter, 11:03, Celtics 37-21: The Celtics are going with the full second unit to start the quarter. Nate Robinson, Von Wafer, Marquis Daniels, Glen Davis and Semih Erden will get an extended run together.
Doc Rivers has said in the past that he's not comfortable running the complete second unit out there without Delonte West. But with a double-digit lead early, he's got the freedom to experiment.
End of first quarter, Celtics 35-21: After one of their most complete first-quarter efforts this season, the Celtics have a commanding lead over the visiting Denver Nuggets.
Ray Allen has 12 points, Kevin Garnett has 10 to go with his four rebounds, and Rajon Rondo quarterbacks the attack with six assists. The C's have a 14-point edge over the Nuggets.
It'd be even bigger if not for the hot shooting of J.R. Smith. The Nuggets' bench sharpshooter has nine points early, keeping them in the game.
The C's are shooting 68.4 percent versus just 38.1 for the Nuggets.
First quarter, 2:42, Celtics 30-11: This is starting to look like the Celtics' blowout of the Hawks two weeks ago — when you play a perfect first quarter and never look back, the game is pretty easy.
The Celtics are 12-for-16 from the field. The Nuggets are 4-for-17. That's pretty much all you need to know.
First quarter, 4:48, Celtics 23-8: Now that's how you run a fast break. The Celtics cover the length of the floor in two passes — Ray Allen lobs a Denver turnover halfway down the court to Rajon Rondo, Rondo tosses up an alley to Kevin Garnett, and KG finishes the oop. That's superhuman ball movement.
The Nuggets' are looking terrible on both sides of the ball. Sloppy on offense, turning the ball over, and apathetic on D. The Celtics are getting every shot they want.
First quarter, 6:06, Celtics 21-6: This is getting a little absurd. The Celtics are now 8-of-11 from the field as a team, including a pair of 3s from Ray Allen. The Nuggets are 2-of-11.
The Nuggets have never been known for their discipline on the defensive end, but c'mon. You've got to at least contest a shot every now and then.
First quarter, 8:04, Celtics 16-4: It takes the Celtics four minutes to miss a field goal attempt for the first time all night. Kevin Garnett tries to loft a fadeaway jumper up over former teammate Shelden Williams — it clanks off the rim and rattles out.
The C's are now 7-for-8 from the field. That's still not bad.
First quarter, 9:09, Celtics 14-4: Bad news for the Celtics early: The shot clocks above the baskets are broken, and the PA announcer at the TD Garden has to remind the players when 10 seconds are left in each possession.
The good news for the C's? They don't need no stinkin' shot clock, they're just going to make every shot they attempt. So far they're 6-for-6, getting all their offense from the veteran Big Three. Paul Pierce just gave the C's an early double-digit lead with a three-point play.
First quarter, 11:34, Celtics 3-0: We're underway, and the Celtics have drawn first blood with a smooth Ray Allen 3.
Chauncey Billups' first shot attempt is stuffed by former Celtic teammate Paul Pierce. The C's have set the tone early with their tough, physical defense.
7 p.m.: The big pregame news out of Boston is that Carmelo Anthony will not play Wednesday night against the Celtics — he has chronic pain in his right knee, and an inflammation today has led to him being shut down for the night. Going forward, he'll be day to day.
It's likely that hometown boy Gary Forbes will get the start at small forward in Melo's place. Forbes is a UMass alum and was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year in 2008.
5:30 p.m.: Welcome to the TD Garden, where the Celtics are 90 mintues away from tipping off their contest with the visiting Nuggets. We're awaiting word on the numerous injured Celtics heading into this one — Rajon Rondo, Shaquille O'Neal, Glen Davis and a few more. Lots of updates still to come.
C's coach Doc Rivers has said that he wouldn't rule out the possibility of resting Rondo and his foot/hamstring ailments for a week or even two. This early in the season, you can never be too cautious.
8 a.m.: Two weeks ago, George Karl was coaching a mediocre Denver Nuggets team at 6-6, and he had 992 career wins to his name.
Since then, his Nuggets have won seven straight games, putting him on history's doorstep at 999 victories, and then lost one in heartbreaking fashion on Tuesday night to the Charlotte Bobcats.
When the Nuggets continue their road trip with a visit to the TD Garden on Wednesday, they'll have a couple of goals in mind. They'll want to get the ball rolling on another winning streak, they'll want to derail the Celtics from their own seven-game run, and they'll want to give his coach a place in history.
Currently six coaches in NBA history have 1,000-plus wins to their names: Don Nelson, Lenny Wilkens, Pat Riley, Jerry Sloan, Phil Jackson and Larry Brown (who just beat Karl in Charlotte on Tuesday night). Karl will look to join that elite group. Doc Rivers' Celtics will look to stop him.
