By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Nikola Jokic with 14 points and eight rebounds in 16 minutes had the chance to stretch a bit after the Olympics in the first prep game of the season for the Denver Nuggets.
The Serb did his part, still the defending champions Boston Celtics got the 107-103 win.
Payton Pritchard scored 21 points, Portuguese Neemias Queta added six and Ukrainian big man Dmytro Skapintsev contributed a dunk, while Latvian Kristaps Portzingis was seated on the bench unavailable due to injury.
Of course, the starters of both teams played limited minutes with Jayson Tatum scoring 12 and Drew Peterson with 10 was the only other scorer in double digits.
Russel Westbrook in his first appearance with his new team had 12 points and eight assists for the Nuggets, Slovenian Vlatko Cancar scored six, and Croatian Dario Saric had five.
The Nuggets led for most of the games when they were using their regular rotation players, still the Celtics smiled in the end.