A 20-point hole proved to be too tall for the Nuggets to climb out of Sunday in Boston.

Here are three takeaways from Denver’s 110-103 loss at TD Garden:

1. Jamal Murray is a big reason why the Nuggets, which trailed by 20 early in the third quarter, had a chance to win in the final minutes. Murray scored 22 of his 26 points, dished out six of his seven assists and grabbed five of his six rebounds after Jaylen Brown, who led the Celtics with 22 points, gave Boston a 68-48 lead in the first two minutes of the third quarter. Denver’s starting point guard also had a series of impressive defensive possessions on Jayson Tatum, who needed 15 shots and eight free throws to score 16 points. Murray made 11 of his 20 shots, including a 2-for-7 mark from 3-point range. A more productive first half from Murray would’ve put Denver in a better position, but his second-half performance was enough to give the Nuggets a chance.

2. Credit Boston’s defense for limiting Murray in the first half. The Celtics dared Denver’s third, fourth and fifth options to beat them before halftime, and the gamble paid off. Christian Braun, who finished with 24 points, six rebounds, four steals, three assists and a block, took 13 of his 22 shots in the first half. Russell Westbrook’s eight shots matched Nikola Jokic’s total before halftime, while Murray got just four shots up in the first two quarters. Braun was productive inside the arc, but he and Westbrook both went 1 for 5 from 3-point range in the first half. Braun (22) and Murray (20) took more shots than Jokic, who scored 20 points on 15 shots with 14 rebounds and nine assists. Denver has 21 games before the playoffs to come up with a better plan of attack against a defensive strategy that will be copied by other teams.

3. There’s no problem with Denver going 2-2 on a road trip against four of the Eastern Conference’s top six teams, considering the circumstances. The Nuggets had a back-to-back between Milwaukee and Detroit earlier in the week, while Boston was coming off consecutive losses and had the benefit of an early tipoff. Denver was also without Aaron Gordon for the last two games of the trip due to a sprained ankle. The injury situation got even worse in the third quarter when Julian Strawther limped off the court after an awkward landing. The second-year wing did not return to the game. Up to that point, Malone had used an eight-man rotation, but Jalen Pickett got some playing time after Strawther’s departure. With a little help from the Clippers on Sunday night, the Nuggets will still wake up Monday second in the Western Conference standings.

CELTICS 110, NUGGETS 103

What happened: Boston led by 12 after one quarter and owned a 61-48 lead at halftime. Denver closed within six points to start the fourth quarter and got within three in the final minutes but dropped to 39-22 on the season.

What went right: The Nuggets finished with two fewer turnovers than Boston. Denver turned the Celtics 14 turnovers into a 15-8 advantage in points off turnovers.

What went wrong: After Jamal Murray’s layup made it a three-point game with 1:15 remaining, the Nuggets gave up a second-chance bucket to Derrick White before a Murray turnover led to an Al Horford layup that put Boston up seven with 33 seconds left.

Highlight of the night: One of Murray’s seven assists stood out from the rest. Early in the third quarter, Murray penetrated and collapsed Boston’s defense before making a behind-the-back bounce pass to Russell Westbrook, who hit a corner 3.

Up next: The Nuggets have a couple of days off before Wednesday’s game against the Kings at Ball Arena.