Denver Nuggets hand the Boston Celtics their first-ever home loss behind the play of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.

NEW YORK The Denver Nuggets paid particular attention to the Boston Celtics, who lead the National Basketball Association (NBA) overall. The Boston Celtics have been a tough opponent at home all season.

On January 19, reigning champions Denver put an end to Boston’s perfect home record to start the season with a dramatic 102-100 victory thanks to 69 points in a combined effort from Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.

At Boston’s TD Garden, a heavyweight bout lived up to the hype with an intense fight.

With their victory, the Nuggets ended the Celtics’ 20-game winning streak at home. Denver also left a psychological scar in what might be an NBA Finals preview.

Jokic, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, and Murray both played brilliantly the entire time.

With 35 points, Murray led the Nuggets in scoring, while Jokic ended with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists.

Murray, who also finished with eight rebounds and five assists, remarked after the game, “During the season you’ve got to find ways of motivating yourself and your team, and their not having a loss at home really motivated us.”

“In any case, we just wanted to arrive and contribute the proper vibe. Getting a victory today felt fantastic.

It’s always a lot of fun when it becomes intense and rough like that. They have a great squad with a lot of guys I know and have played with or against my entire life.

“Just an excellent victory away from home.”

“They played for themselves and they played for other people,” said Denver coach Michael Malone, expressing his pride in his two players.

“It was two All-Star players playing at a very high level.”

With 24 points, Derrick White led Boston in scoring. Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis came in second and third, respectively.

Throughout a significant portion of the titanic struggle, which saw 13 lead changes, it appeared as though Boston would win and maintain their perfect home record.

With 10 points from Tatum and 7 from Jaylen Brown in the second quarter, they jumped out to a commanding 12-point lead.

Dejan Milojevic, the Warriors’ assistant coach, passed away at age 46.

But Denver consistently found a way to get back into the game, and with 3 minutes and 36 seconds left, Jokic’s driving hook shot gave them the lead 99–98.

With eighteen seconds remaining, Tatum missed a driving layup that would have tied the game, but the Nuggets hung on for a valiant victory.

With 32 victories and 10 losses, Boston continues to lead the Eastern Conference, one game clear of the second-place Milwaukee Bucks (28-13).

After the Oklahoma City Thunder (28-13) and Minnesota Timberwolves (30-11), Denver advanced to 29-14 and is currently third in the Western Conference.

In other games on January 19, the visiting Brooklyn Nets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 130–112 on the road to snap a four-game losing streak. Cam Thomas scored 33 points, while Nic Claxton added 22 and 14 rebounds.