Nuggets clinch playoff berth with 114-105 win over Celtics

Nikola Jokic had 21 points and 13 rebounds and the Denver Nuggets rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Boston Celtics 114-105 on Monday night.

Will Barton added 20 points for the Nuggets, who clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2012-13. They have won four straight.

Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 30 points. Al Horford finished with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) and Denver Nuggets guard Monte Morris (11) battle for a rebound during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Monday, March 18, 2019. (AP PhotoCharles Krupa)

Both teams came into the night trying to improve their playoff position.

The Nuggets tipped off their four-game road trip just a game behind Western Conference-leading Golden State in the standings. The Celtics came in fifth in the East, a game back of fourth-place Indiana and two behind Philadelphia, whom they visit on Wednesday.

The game felt like a matchup between two postseason-bound teams.

Denver Nuggets guard Isaiah Thomas smiles as his acknowledged by fans during a video tribute during a break the first quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics in Boston, Monday, March 18, 2019. Thomas returned to play in his first game after being traded in 2017 for Kyrie Irving. (AP PhotoCharles Krupa)

It stayed tight at the start of the second half, with neither team holding more than a two-possession lead in the third quarter.

But the Nuggets got some breathing room in the final period and took a 106-94 lead with 3:47 left in the game.

Boston scored seven straight to get it within five, but Barton stopped the run with a layup. Following a missed 3-pointer by Horford on the other end, Paul Millsap all but sealed it with a four-point play that made it 112-101 with 31.3 seconds remaining.

Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, center, draws up a plan with his players before the first quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets in Boston, Monday, March 18, 2019. (AP PhotoCharles Krupa)

The pace was fast throughout.

The teams combined for 107 points in the first half. The Nuggets held the 55-52 halftime lead, with Jokic and Barton scoring 13 points apiece.

Irving started the game 1 for 9 from the field, but Horford picked up the scoring load for the Celtics, connecting on 5 of his 9 attempts from the field.

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone calls to his players during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics in Boston, Monday, March 18, 2019. (AP PhotoCharles Krupa)

TIP-INS

Nuggets: Jokic recorded his 39th double-double of the season.

Celtics: Played without Gordon Hayward (concussion protocol) and Robert Williams (illness).

THOMAS RETURNS

Isaiah Thomas received lots of love from the Celtics during his latest return to the city he said still feels like home despite multiple stops the past two seasons.

A video highlighting Thomas' time in Boston was shown during a timeout in the first quarter and ended with an extended standing ovation from fans and players and coaches from both teams.

Denver coach Michael Malone previously informed Thomas he was being dropped from the rotation in preparation for the playoffs. But he inserted the 5-foot-9 guard into the game with 2:42 left in the first quarter.

Thomas started slowly missing two shots, stepping out bounds and fouling Daniel Theis on his way in for a dunk. He started the second quarter and played a total of seven minutes for the game, finishing with no points and two assists.

A two-time All-Star in Boston, Thomas was blindsided by the trade that sent him to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of the deal that brought Kyrie Irving to the Celtics in the summer of 2017. He was dealt to the Lakers at the trade deadline that next season, before landing in Denver this past summer.

He says the hip injury that slowed him during his final season in Boston is healed and that whatever happens he is going into free agency this summer with open eyes. That includes being open to a possible return to Boston.

"You never know what could happen," Thomas said. "My options are always open no matter what it is. If I end up back here at some point. That would make the story that much better."

UP NEXT

Nuggets: At Washington on Thursday.

Celtics: Visit Philadelphia on Wednesday.

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 31 points and 14 rebounds, Jalen Suggs added 24 points and the Orlando Magic handed Cleveland the worst playoff loss in franchise history, winning 121-83 on Thursday night to cut the Cavaliers’ lead to 2-1 in their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Franz Wagner finished with 16 points and eight assists for the Magic, who led by 43 points in the fourth quarter on the way to the third-largest margin of victory in a playoff game. They earned their first playoff victory since 2019 and the first on their home floor since April 26, 2011.

They can even the series with a victory at home Sunday.

Jarrett Allen had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers, who shot 39% from the field and 23.5% from 3-point range. Caris LeVert added 15 points and Donovan Mitchell had 13 points and seven assists.

76ERS 125, KNICKS 114

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid scored 50 points, making all four 3-point attempts and scoring 18 in a potential series-shifting third quarter to lead Philadelphia to a win over New York in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Embiid boldly stated “we’re going to win this series” after the 76ers dropped Game 2.

With one of the finest postseason efforts of his career, Embiid became the third player to ever score 50 points against the Knicks in the postseason and kept the hope of a Philadelphia series comeback very much alive.

The Knicks lead the series 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday in Philadelphia.

Embiid was 13 of 19 from the floor overall, made 19 of 21 free throws and hit five 3-pointers.

NUGGETS 112, LAKERS 105

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Aaron Gordon had 29 points and 15 rebounds, Nikola Jokic added 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, and Denver moved to the brink of the second round with a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of their first-round series..

Jamal Murray scored 22 points as the defending NBA champion Nuggets won their 11th consecutive meeting with LeBron James and the Lakers in dominating style.

Michael Porter Jr. added 20 points for Denver, which took control in the third quarter and cruised through the final minutes to its fifth straight road win over Los Angeles, starting with its sweep of last season’s Western Conference finals.

Game 4 is Saturday night in Los Angeles. No NBA team has ever rallied from an 0-3 playoff deficit.

Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony (50) makes a shot as he gets past Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) during the second half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)