DENVER – Danilo Gallinari scored 20 points and Kenneth Faried added 18 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, leading the Denver Nuggets past the Boston Celtics 98-91 Saturday night.

It was the sixth double-double in the last 13 games for Faried. Arron Afflalo added 15 points for Denver, which has beaten the Celtics seven of the last eight times in Denver.

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett scored 22 points each for Boston. Rajon Rondo had 12 points and 16 assists.

The Celtics are 2-3 on their eight-game trip. They were coming off a 120-95 loss Friday night at Sacramento.

Denver nearly lost its lead in the fourth quarter. The Celtics trimmed the deficit to 87-85 when Pierce’s jumper finished a 10-0 run, but he fouled out 16 seconds later.

Ty Lawson’s 3-pointer and a layup by Faried made it 94-87. Garnett then hit four straight free throws, but after the Celtics forced two missed shots, Ray Allen missed a jumper with 54 seconds left.

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Faried sealed the game with two free throws.

The Nuggets maintained their double-digit halftime lead in the third quarter. Boston made 58 percent of its shots, but made up only one point in the quarter.

Denver extended the lead to 72-56 on Gallinari’s jumper with 6:32 left in the third. Rondo made two jump shots, but Boston missed its last three shots of the quarter and trailed 80-68.

Gallinari scored 15 points and Faried had 11 rebounds and eight points by halftime as the Nuggets built a 55-42 halftime lead. Six of Faried’s points came in the last 4:40 after Boston had closed the gap to six.

Denver turned three turnovers into baskets, and Al Harrington’s short jumper put Denver ahead 38-27. Marquis Daniels got the Celtics within 40-34, but Faried scored three baskets and Gallinari made a 3-pointer with 7.5 seconds left in the half.

The Celtics struggled at the start, missing nine of their first 14 shots, and were behind 29-22 after the first quarter. Denver made 5 of 9 3-pointers, two by Gallinari.

NOTES: Jermaine O’Neal missed his 13th game with a sprained left wrist. … The Celtics are 6-7 on the second night of back-to-back games.

 


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