Boston bullies: Celtics’ 31-3 run ends Nuggets’ win streak

<p>DENVER &mdash; Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown fueled an amazing 31-3 run that helped the Boston Celtics put the skids on the NBA’s hottest team with a 105-87 win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.</p>
<p>The Nuggets looked well on their way to their ninth straight win when they took a 79-65 lead in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by Facundo Campazzo.</p>
<p>Boston outscored the Nuggets 40-8 the rest of the way. The Celtics had been held to 16 first-quarter points and trailed by as many as 14 early on.</p>
<p>Brown started the epic run with a nifty bucket and Tatum provided the biggest highlights, including eight straight points on a trio of free throws, a jumper and a 3-pointer.</p>
<p>Tatum finished with 28 points two days after a career-best 53-point performance against Minnesota, and Brown had 20.</p>
<p>Tatum (illness) and Brown (sore left knee) starred despite being listed as questionable before tip-off.</p>
<p>Michael Porter Jr. led Denver with 20 points despite missing 11 of 12 from beyond the arc. Nikola Jokic had 17 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.</p>
<p>The Nuggets lost for the first time since acquiring Aaron Gordon at the trade deadline, a move that made them a legitimate title contender.</p>
<p>This was just their fourth loss in 21 games since Feb. 27 and their first since Feb. 24 at Toronto.</p>
<p>The Celtics chipped away after their poor start and trailed 51-45 at halftime, holding Jokic to three first-half points on 1-of-5 shooting.</p>
<p>TIP-INS</p>
<p>Celtics: Were 1-for-9 on 3-point tries in the first quarter, when they shot 6 for 25 from the floor. … Evan Fournier, who’s in the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, didn’t make the trip.</p>
<p>Nuggets: Jamal Murray missed his fourth consecutive game with a sore right knee. … During a second-quarter sequence, JaMychal Green rebounded his own errant 3-pointer, missed the finger-roll, grabbed the board again and watched Robert Williams III block his layup.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Celtics: Visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night before wrapping up their three-game trip against the Lakers on Thursday night.</p>
<p>Nuggets: At Golden State on Monday night.</p>
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