BOSTONFor the fans of the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets who braved the elements and trekked out to the TD Garden Sunday night, they got their money's worth.
Boston and Denver put on a triple-overtime thriller that left everyone feeling good except the Nuggets who could not muster up enough big plays down the stretch and left with a 118-114 triple-overtime loss.
Paul Pierce had his second triple-double of the season with 27 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists while Jason Terry came off the bench to score a season-high 26 points. Boston also got a strong game and some clutch baskets from Jeff Green who had 17 points to go with four rebounds.
The Celtics (27-23) have now won a season-high seven straight, and in doing so ended the Nuggets (33-19) winning streak at nine in a row.
In the third overtime period, it was clear that Kevin Garnett was fed up with this game taking so long.
He went into "I got this" mode, scoring Boston's first six points to put the C's ahead 113-110. Garnett finished with 20 points and 18 rebounds in addition to six assists.
But as well as Garnett played to start the third overtime, the Nuggets once again had an answer.
Boston Celtics
Danilo Gallinari drilled a high-arcing 3-pointer over Garnett's outstretched hands to tie the game at 113.
And right back came the Celtics with a big shot from Terry to put Boston ahead 116-113 with 1:33 to play.
Gallinari had a pair of free throws with 1:13 to play, making the second to cut Boston's lead to 116-114.
Following a 3-point miss by Andre Miller, the Celtics got the loose ball that wound up in Terry's hands for an uncontested lay-up as time expired.
The game's ending wasn't all that surprising when you consider how it began.
The Celtics could not have drawn up a better start to the game as they opened with the game's first 12 points.
But the Nuggets countered with nine straight of their own.
The Celtics spent the rest of the quarter with a lead, one that they pushed back to double digits (29-19) with a 5-0 spurt to end the first quarter.
Boston's lead remained steady throughout the second quarter, although Denver made multiple mini-spurts that brought them within striking distance.
However, each surge by the Nuggets was matched with a similar push back by the Celtics who took a slim 50-46 lead into the half.
Pierce was on a pace for his second triple-double of the season with nine points, five rebounds and four assists at the half. Kevin Garnett was headed towards his 14th double-double this season with five points and seven rebounds at the half.
Meanwhile the Nuggets were being led by Kenneth Faried and Ty Lawson who each had eight first-half points. Faried finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds while Lawson tallied a game-high 29 points and nine assists.
