Nuggets sweep league-leading Celtics behind Jokic’s triple-double

In a highly anticipated game between the NBA's reigning champions and the team with the best record in the league, Nikola Jokic led the Denver Nuggets to a 115-109 victory against the Boston Celtics, sweeping the season series.

The @Nuggets hold off the Celtics at home 🍿

Jokic: 32 PTS | 12 REB | 11 AST
Murray: 19 PTS | 6 REB | 8 AST
Gordon: 16 PTS | 9 REB pic.twitter.com/IwWgFwGobW

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 8, 2024

Jokic had 32 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, several of them on alley-oops to Aaron Gordon (16 points), and Jamal Murray added 19 points and eight assists. It was the Joker's 20th triple-double of the season.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Peyton Watson contributed 11 points each.

Joker did Joker things to lead the @nuggets over the 1st-place Celtics 🃏

32 PTS | 12 REB | 11 AST pic.twitter.com/GKi4y9Lbuv

— NBA (@NBA) March 8, 2024

The Celtics led for much of the first quarter, until a quick 9-2 run at the end gave the Nuggets a lead they never gave back.

Expectedly, Boston fought back. The Celtics tied the game at points in the third quarter and shortened a double-digit lead to just two points in the final two minutes of the game.

Murray's layup gave Denver a 12-point lead early in the fourth quarter. The Celtics had the chance to take the lead on Jayson Tatum's three-point attempt with 40 seconds left. It rimmed out, leaving the Nuggets ahead 111-109. Jokic's alley-oop pass to Gordon sealed it, and KCP’s free throws put the nail in the coffin.

Death.

Taxes.

And the Denver Nuggets putting teams away with the Nikola Jokic-to-Aaron Gordon lob. pic.twitter.com/IUC95kXdwQ

— Matt Brooks (@MattBrooksNBA) March 8, 2024

That wasn’t the craziest dunk of the matchup. Before that sequence, Gordon also hammered a 1-handed putback that got them up at 109-102.

AARON GORDON MY GOODNESS!

Snatches and throws down the 1-handed putback 😳

BOS-DEN 4Q on TNT pic.twitter.com/ULydeFRFx5

— NBA (@NBA) March 8, 2024

Jaylen Brown scored a season-high 41 points and had 14 rebounds for the Celtics, who hadn't lost consecutive games since early November.

Kristaps Porzingis had 24 points and 12 rebounds for Boston. Jayson Tatum came up with 15 while Jrue Holiday followed with 12 markers.

Brown scored 15 second-quarter points on his way to 22 by halftime and the Nuggets countered by converting all 14 of their free throws, including eight from Jokic.

Denver's dynamic duo each had buzzer-beaters, too, with Murray sinking a 30-footer to end the first quarter and Jokic banking a 12-foot shot with Porzingis in his face that gave Denver a 62-54 advantage at the break.

Murray beats the 1Q buzzer from WAY DOWNTOWN!

Denver takes a 30-28 lead on TNT pic.twitter.com/rXDkMwsOyR

— NBA (@NBA) March 8, 2024

Boston quickly erased that deficit with a pair of 3s from Porzingis and a layup from Brown to start the third quarter.

The Nuggets are at No. 3 in the Western Conference with a commanding 43-20 record. Despite their first back-to-back loss, the Celtics remain at the top of the whole league with 48-14.