Despite good games from Avery Bradley, Jeff Green, and others the Celtics didn't have enough to overcome some scorching shooting by Ty Lawson and Danillo Gallinari.

Celtics fall to Nuggets, 97-90, in trip opener - Celtics - Boston.com

“I don’t think we trusted each other at all tonight,” coach Doc Rivers said. It was not how the Celtics wanted to begin a five-game road trip, one that heads to Los Angeles for a game against their rival, the Lakers, Wednesday. “The good thing is, we understand how we have to play to win,” said Paul Pierce, who scored 10 points on 2-for-14 shooting. That they were off for five days makes for a convenient culprit: The Celtics were simply out of rhythm. “That’s the [whole] league, though,” said Kevin Garnett, who had 12 points and nine rebounds. “You come back from a long rest, you get one day to prepare for multiple games. I think your rhythm gets better as the games go, and we’re no different than that.”