Celtics 104, Nuggets 100: Avery Bradley and Marcus Thornton scored 17 points apiece as host Boston turned away struggling Denver.

Tyler Zeller, Jared Sullinger and Jae Crowder added 14 points apiece for the Celtics, who have won back-to-back games after a three-game slide. Marcus Smart contributed 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals as Boston swept the two-game season series.

Ty Lawson collected 23 points and eight assists to lead the Nuggets, who turned the ball over twice in the final 20 seconds and missed their final four field-goal attempts. Arron Afflalo scored 18 points and Kenneth Faried had 17 points and 11 rebounds as Denver fell for the 11th time in its last 12 games.

The Celtics held an 88-78 lead with under 11 minutes to play before the Nuggets chipped away and knotted it at 92 on Wilson Chandler’s free throws with 5:46 to play. Faried gave Denver its first lead of the second half at 96-94 with 2:58 left but Boston closed with a 10-4 run and Crowder made the key defensive play by stealing an inbounds pass that led to two free throws from Evan Turner with 18.3 seconds remaining.

Boston led by as much as 12 late in the second quarter and took a 61-51 advantage into the break as Thornton and James Young combined for 20 first-half points off the bench. The Nuggets cut the deficit to three late in the third before settling for an 83-78 deficit heading into the fourth.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Faried suffered a head laceration in a collision with Zeller in the third quarter but returned in the fourth. … Sullinger was removed from the starting lineup after being late for the walkthrough for the second time in four days. … Boston’s reserves outscored Denver’s bench 53-20.