The Boston Celtics (18 - 30) defeated the Denver Nuggets (19 - 31) 104 - 100 on Wednesday at the TD Garden in Boston. While they were down three points coming out of the first quarter, the Celtics had a monster second quarter, out - scoring the Nuggets 35 - 22 and set themselves up to seal the four - point victory in the end. Despite each team shooting close to the same percentage from the floor, the Celtics took a huge advantage from behind the arc, going 43 percent from the three - point line, while the Nuggets finished at a meager 17 percent from deep. The Celtics also out - rebounded the Nuggets 51 - 48. The Celtics spread the scoring around in this game, with five players reaching double figures. Avery Bradley led the starters, finishing with 17 points (7 - 15 FG, 1 - 2 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT) and four rebounds in 31 minutes. He's posted three impressive games in a row, averaging 20 points over that stretch. Marcus Thornton matched Bradley, as he came off the bench for 17 points (5 - 9 FG, 4 - 5 3Pt, 3 - 3 FT), five rebounds and two steals in 20 minutes. He was very efficient with his time on the court, playing well on both offense and defense. It was his third straight game with two steals. Jared Sullinger was forced into a bench role, as he showed up late for the Celtics' walk - through. He was still productive though, posting 14 points (5 - 12 FG, 2 - 3 3Pt, 2 - 4 FT) and seven rebounds in only 21 minutes. Both Tyler Zeller (6 - 12 FG, 2 - 3 FT) and Jae Crowder (5 - 12 FG, 2 - 6 3Pt, 2 - 2 FT) each had 14 points as well. The Nuggets continued their tough stretch, losing their fourth game in a row. After struggling to score recently, Ty Lawson finally got things going, finishing with 23 points (9 - 15 FG, 1 - 3 3Pt, 4 - 4 FT), eight assists and two steals. He had posted 10 or less points in each of his last four games, so will see if this builds his confidence moving forward. Arron Afflalo also had a strong showing. He recorded 18 points (6 - 17 FG, 3 - 9 3Pt, 3 - 4 FT) and three assists in 36 minutes. He's now averaging 15 points and 4 rebounds per game on the year. Kenneth Faried recorded a double - double with 17 points (6 - 8 FG, 5 - 5 FT) and 11 rebounds. He went scoreless in 19 minues against the 76ers on Tuesday, so the Nuggets were happy he was able to turn things around Wednesday. Jusuf Nurkic added 14 points (4 - 7 FG, 6 - 6 FT), seven rebounds and three blocks. The Nuggets' next game will be on the road against the Detroit Pistons on Friday, while the Celtics will be at home against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
["TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 43 Percentage of 3 points ,has 30 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 35 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 51 Rebounds ,has 18 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Nuggets') has 17 Percentage of 3 points ,has 31 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 22 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 48 Rebounds ,has 19 Wins ."]