Bradley Scores 27, Celtics Beat Nuggets 111-103
BOSTON -- Making it three wins in four nights against sub-.500 teams, the Boston Celtics cruised to a 111-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.
Guard Avery Bradley scored 21 of his season-high-matching 27 points in the first half, as the Celtics, who won at Philadelphia on Sunday and Washington on Monday, posted their fourth victory in a row and seventh in nine games.
Boston (26-21) broke an 11-11 tie with eight consecutive points and was never caught after that.
The Celtics led by 15 after three quarters and then went on a 9-0 run that started the fourth quarter and made the home fans very happy -- guard Evan Turner scoring six straight points after forward Kelly Olynyk opened the quarter with his team's ninth 3-pointer of the game.
Up by 24 with 8:48 left, the Celtics withstood a run by the visitors, led by swingman Will Barton, that got the margin down to 10 twice. However, Turner made two more baskets in a quick spurt that got the lead back up 14. Denver to cut it down to eight in the final minute, but the outcome was never in doubt.
Olynyk came off the bench to contribute 17 points and seven rebounds, and Boston guard Isaiah Thomas had 16 points and five assists. Turner, also off the bench, had 14 points (10 in the final quarter), six assists and four rebounds. Forward Jae Crowder scored 13 points, and forward Amir Johnson posted 13 rebounds (seven offensive), six assists and nine points. Bradley added four steals.
Denver, playing its first game after a 4-4 homestand, got 23 points apiece from Barton, who had 13 in the final quarter and did his damage off the bench in 26:15 of playing time, and forward Danilo Gallinari, who also grabbed seven rebounds.
Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried had 15 points and 15 rebounds. Guard Gary Harris also scored 15 and pulled down seven boards, and rookie guard Emmanuel Mudiay added 13 points for Denver (17-29).
It took two minutes for a point to be scored, and the game was tied at 11 almost midway through the first quarter. The Celtics ran off eight straight points, the first two when Johnson converted on his third shot and the other six when Bradley nailed 3-pointers 40 seconds apart.
Boston led by eight at the end of the first quarter, and the margin was 13 with 4:56 left in the half. A 9-2 Denver run cut into the lead, but the Celtics led by 10 at the break.
NOTES: Nuggets rookie C Nikola Jokic and first-year G Emmaunel Mudiay were named to the World team and Celtics second-year G Marcus Smart to the U.S. squad for the Feb. 12 BBVA Compass Rising Stars game on All-Star Weekend in Toronto. ... The Celtics continue to push G Isaiah Thomas, who was averaging 25.4 points and 6.4 assists in the previous 10 games, for an All-Star spot. "I hope that he makes it from the standpoint of how hard he works, how much time he puts in, how much of an impact he has on us, but I think it would also be a feather in the cap of his teammates," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. ... Denver G Jameer Nelson missed his sixth straight game with a sprained wrist. ... The Nuggets are allowing 111.5 points in their past six games.
