Crowder pulls a Malcolm Butler, Celtics intercept Nuggets 104 - 100

The Nuggets had the ball with just a few seconds left and the score tied, but when they tried to inbound the ball Jae Crowder did his best Malcolm Butler impersonation and intercepted the pass.  The Celtics hit a few free throws and won the game.  Perhaps the Celtics were inspired by a few of the Patriots players that took in the game.

On a down note, for the second time in 4 days Jared Sullinger was late to shootaround. As a result, he was taken out of the starting lineup and had to sit out the entire first quarter.  He indicated that he was stuck behind a funeral procession on Sunday and today was delayed because of an ambulance.  Seems to me he needs to leave a bit earlier to make sure this doesn't happen often in the future.

That didn't stop the Celtics from having an excellent 2nd quarter in which they built a double digit lead.  Included in that run was some sweet shooting and slick all around play from rookie James Young.  His shot wasn't falling in the 2nd half but once again, he didn't play poorly.  He was a plus 14 on the night.

One particular play in the first half that I loved: Marcus Smart picked off a sideline inbounds pass, ran up the court, drew a defender to him, and dumped it off to a trailing James Young who slammed it home with authority.  The Future folks!

Smart seemed to be all over the court on defense. He got credit for 3 steals but it seemed like more.  He also finished with 10 rebounds and 8 assists.  Love this kid.

The Celtics as a team shot 42.9% from 3 point land, led by Marcus Thornton's 4-5 effort.

The Nuggets were still in the game, however, because they took 33 free throws as opposed to the Celtics' 17.

Another nice game from Avery Bradley who had 17 points and his customary solid defense.

Crowder continues to thrive in his new bench role, playing minutes at the 4 in some small ball lineups.

The Celtics are streaking folks.  Two wins in a row (and back-to-back no less).

Thanks to the @celtics for honoring Robert Kraft & the Super Bowl champs tonight at the @tdgarden! pic.twitter.com/V7XEEmm5G0

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) February 5, 2015