Their spirit was willing but the depleted Nuggets couldn’t quite hang with the defending NBA champions Celtics Tuesday night at Ball Arena. Playing without center Nikola Jokic, who was scratched before the game with a non-COVID illness,

DENVER — Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic was sidelined for Denver’s clash with Jayson Tatum and the Celtics on Tuesday night because of an illness. The Nuggets center went from probable to questionable to out over the course of the day. He was seen leaving the arena a little more than an hour before tipoff.

After squandering a 15-point first half lead, the Celtics and Nuggets played a nip and tuck game for most of the second half until Boston took command midway through the fourth quarter. With Jamal Murray on the bench, the Celtics erupted with a 15-0 run, breaking the game open in the final five minutes of the win.