Rocky road: Nuggets 97, Celtics 90

The Celtics gave it their all, but came up just short as they fell to the Nuggets, 97-90.

Here's a brief recap:

The good:

* Boston edged Denver in points in the paint, 26-24, which was an area of concern for Boston coming into the game. For the majority of the game -- the fourth quarter was the exception -- the Celtics did a decent job of keeping the Nuggets out of the paint.

* Jeff Green had himself a game. Green finished with a team-high 20 points on 8-of-12 from the floor. He had some huge shots down the stretch, and he provided the highlight of the game with a ferocious block on a Corey Brewer layup midway through the fourth quarter. Green did all he could to keep the Celtics in this game.

The bad:

* Poor offensive execution down the stretch -- primarily due to a ton of missed shots -- was the reason the Celtics lost this game, not tired legs. This team has had nearly a full week off, so legs weren't the problem. Getting back to the poor execution, the Celtics shot 37% and 35% in the third and fourth quarters respectively. The offense was stagnant, the ball stuck and no one moved without the ball. All of that adds up to the Celtics being unable to knock down big shots in crunch time.

* Paul Pierce was M.I.A. The Truth was a horrid 2-of-14 from the floor. He did have 6 rebounds and 6 assists, but Pierce just did not have it tonight. He looked overmatched and didn't appear into the game. That should change against the Lakers. Emphasis on should.

Boston is back at it later on tonight as they face the Los Angeles Lakers.