Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 22 points, and Al Horford contributed 19 points and eight rebounds. Derrick White and Horford played key roles down the stretch.

After all, the trio of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry are all in the twilight years of their respective careers. At the moment, a couple of players have the accomplishments and the fanbase to fulfill this role in the future and it includes Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum.

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, right, drives toward the basket past Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun, front left, in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, March 2,

Boston takes on the Denver Nuggets after Jayson Tatum scored 46 points in the Boston Celtics' 123-116 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Nuggets almost survived to Jokic’s return. They were down 88-84. The last minute without him was a near-death sentence, though. Sam Hauser knocked down a transition drive-and-kick 3-pointer to bring the house down with 8:11 to go, highlighting a 6-0 burst.

Boston's victory broke a two-game losing streak in which they lost by 20 to the Detroit Pistons and blew a 22-point lead to the Cavaliers. They improved to 43-18 and maintain a strong hold on the East's No. 2 seed. The Celtics are off until Wednesday when they host the Portland Trail Blazers (27-33).

It's part of what makes the Nuggets star one of the greatest offensive players in NBA history. He doesn't want to score 50 points. He wants to scare you into thinking he might because his legendary passing can take over a game when you send too much help his way.

Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla shared his thoughts on the game plan against Nikola Jokic in the NBA matchup against the Denver Nuggets.