The Pepsi Center was filled with excitement as the Denver Nuggets' new players made their debut. At the end of the night, the fans had much to cheer about after the Nugget picked up an 89-75 victory over the Boston Celtics.
It was a different type of game for the Nuggets, as they played in a relatively low-scoring game with plenty of defense to go around. Kenyon Martin led the team with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Nene chipped in 12 points and 10 rebounds. Ty Lawson, who has taken over the point, scored only four points but helped with 10 assists.
Danilo Gallinari started at small forward managed only two points, but did grab four boards and blocked three shots. Wilson Chandler and Raymond Felton had impact off the bench. Chandler scored 16 points and pulled down five rebounds. Felton finished with six assists and five rebounds. J.R. Smith, who had started the previous game, added 12 points and eight rebounds.
The Celtics, who had four All-Stars, were playing with a short bench after trading Kendrick Perkins and others. Paul Pierce had a team-high 17 points and Kevin Garnett grabbed 13 rebounds. Glen Davis started due to the short bench and contributed 11 points and six rebounds. Rookie Chris Johnson arrived from the NBA D-League and scored six points in 17 points off the bench.
The Nuggets (34-25, 24-7 home) split the season series with Boston. They travel to Portland to face the Trail Blazers on Friday night. ESPN has the broadcast at 8:30 p.m. MT.