If Thursday was an NBA Finals preview, the Denver Nuggets would look great.
Nikola Jokic led Denver to a 115-109 victory over the Boston Celtics in a marquee matchup between the NBA's defending champions and owners of the league's top record.
It was a typical night at the office for Jokic with 32 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists and one turnover on 11-of-18 shooting. The MVP candidate appeared to be sidelined for a few games with an elbow injury, but was still projecting a strong night on offense against the NBA's No. 2 team defensively.
The Celtics led for most of the first quarter, and eventually gave the Nuggets a quick 9-2 run. Boston came close though. The Celtics tied the game in the third quarter and cut a double-digit lead to two points in the game's final two minutes.
Jockey and Gordon responded by doing this with 20 seconds left:
Somehow, it wasn't even the worst dunk of the game. or second-wild.
Peyton Watson had this nearly derailing dunk in transition:
Then Gordon offered a reminder that he probably should have won a dunk contest or two.
Jaylen Brown would have been the hero for the Celtics with 42 points on 16-of-27 shooting with 13 rebounds, four assists and three steals. Jayson Tatum's 14 points wasn't enough. Boston finished 11-of-37 from 3-point range.
The win moves the 43-20 Nuggets just one game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves in the West, with the Oklahoma City Thunder sandwiched between them with a first-half game.
