Locked On Celtics Podcast Summary

Episode: Boston Celtics Struggle Late as Jaylen Brown and Derrick White COLLAPSE in Denver Loss
Date: January 8, 2026
Host: John Karalis (Boston Sports Journal)
Length: ~35 minutes (ad segments omitted)

Episode Overview

This episode analyzes the Boston Celtics' narrow loss to the Denver Nuggets, focusing on the team's late-game struggles, especially by Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. Host John Karalis digs into how a promising performance unraveled in the fourth quarter, what went wrong for Boston, and what the loss means for Brown’s MVP conversation and the Celtics’ ongoing playoff positioning.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Celtics vs. Nuggets: Game Flow & Turning Points

• Competitive Early Game

  • Both teams traded leads in a fast-paced, run-heavy game.
  • Jaylen Brown and Derrick White combined for 35 points in the first quarter, giving Boston early momentum.
  • The game remained tight: Celtics won the first and third quarters, Denver took the second, and it was back-and-forth until the late fourth.

• Fourth Quarter Collapse

  • Critical Segment (Est. 08:30 – 11:00):
    • Celtics led by 3 just after the 8-minute mark of the fourth quarter.
    • Denver responded with a punishing run: 14-0 or 19-3 depending on where you mark it, building a 13-point lead with 2:24 left.
  • “Turnover after turnover after turnover” hampered Boston’s composure. John notes, “The Celtics had five [turnovers] in the Final eight minutes. Jaylen Brown had three… in the final five. That coupled with the Denver shooting was too much to overcome.” (12:06)

• Too Many Mistakes, Denver Too Hot

  • Denver shot 20/44 from three—23 makes. Celtics: 15/38 (39.5%).
  • “Anytime the Celtics made a mistake, there were the Nuggets to cash in on it somehow.” (13:40)
  • Celtics: 14 turnovers for 15 Denver points; Nuggets: 9 turnovers for 9 Boston points.
  • Boston won the offensive boards battle, but John notes these were padded by Keda's multiple put-backs (“If he had just put back the first miss, he probably would have had five offensive rebounds…” 14:45).

• Denver’s Execution vs. Boston’s Frustration

  • Celtics attempted double-teams on Jamal Murray late, but “he starts spraying it around and has six assists” in the fourth quarter as Denver hit 4/7 from three while Boston missed, going 2/9.

Jaylen Brown: Numbers vs. Impact and MVP Ramifications

• Statline and On-Court Influence (20:00):

  • 33 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 7 turnovers.
  • Shot 14/29 FG, 4/6 from three, but only 3 free throw attempts.
  • “This was not a great Jaylen Brown game. And this is not going to help his, the MVP conversation at all”—he finished -14 in +/- (20:34).

• Frustration with Officiating (21:15):

  • “He basically said the refs got into his head. He was expecting the calls to come a certain way and didn’t get any calls in this one… He let that get into his head.” (21:45)
  • Brown spent most of his postgame talking about the officiating, not the team’s execution.

• Reverting to Bad Habits (22:10):

  • “When Jaylen is going up for shots and then trying to pass right before he lands… I don’t like that version of Jaylen.”
  • He was “driving with a purpose to score at all costs… in this scenario, it didn’t work… He was looking for bailout passes and not looking for shooters.”

• Late-game Meltdown and National Conversation (23:00):

  • After a nationally televised game on ESPN, John worries “this was the most poorly timed fourth quarter meltdown… The national kind of conversation around Jaylen was starting to be like, hey, he is a viable MVP candidate… If voters tuned in for this one, this is going to be the game that sticks out for them.”
  • “He has an opportunity to win because he’s doing so much with less than, I think, a lot of these other candidates. And it’s only January 8th. Plenty of time.” (22:55)

• Notable Quote:

  • “The numbers, the raw numbers look good, but the seven turnovers really stand out. The three of them down the stretch where the Celtics just couldn’t do anything… Jalen was not playing well at all in that stretch.” (22:40)

Celtics’ Depth vs. Denver’s Bench Outburst

• Celtics Bench Shows Flashes, But Outdone (25:20):

  • Anthony Simons: 15 points (6/9 FG, 3/4 3PT). “He feels comfortable and he’s definitely playing a lot better lately.”
  • Luca Garza: Strong minutes; Ugo Gonzalez: +9 impact, “His defense was really, really good.”
  • Baylor Scheireman: +13 in just 4 minutes.
  • But Denver’s Zeke Nnaji (12 points), Pickett, and others contributed to a 49-31 Nuggets bench scoring edge.

• If Only the Role Players Hit Shots… (26:40):

  • “Pritchard and White… were 4 of 18 from three. The rest of the Celtics were 11 of 20 from three.”
  • “If you get anywhere decent scoring shooting from Pritchard and White, I think this game obviously goes very differently…”
  • Nuggets’ Peyton Watson poured in 30; Jamal Murray: 22 and 17 assists.

Big Picture: What This Means for the Celtics

• Team Regression & Worries (29:20):

  • “The Celtics in the fourth quarter kind of reverted to the old Celtics from earlier this season… disorganized. It just didn’t look great.”
  • Hauser: 30 minutes, 6 shots (all 3s).
  • Namish Keda: Career-high 20 rebounds, 10 offensive.

• Not Time to Panic, But Tests Ahead (30:45):

  • “Sometimes you have these games… It’s been a while since they’ve had a bad fourth quarter, so it’s not like I’m worried.”
  • Upcoming games: Toronto, San Antonio (Wembanyama), then a tough road trip.
  • Celtics drop back to the 3rd seed; a Toronto loss could drop them to fourth.

• Crucial Adjustments:

  • “If Jalen just kind of kept his head on straight, didn’t worry about the refs as much… If Derrick White shoots a little bit better… If Nuggets missed a couple of shots… The win was right there.”
  • “You’re going to lose some games at the end of the day… Some things need to be better and they got to clean that up.”

• Final Thought:

  • “Toronto becomes a big game now because you don’t want to go down and lose three in a row…. But for now, thank you so much for listening. Thank you so much for watching. Being an everydayer.” (33:08)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Denver’s response to Boston’s mistakes:

  • “Anytime the Celtics made a mistake, there were the Nuggets to cash in on it somehow. 14 turnovers for Boston leading to 15 points.” (13:40)

• On Jaylen Brown’s outlook:

  • “This was like the most poorly timed fourth quarter meltdown because he had just had this 50-point game… The national conversation… [now it’s] ‘Ah, see? Look at that game he had against Denver.’” (23:10)

• On Boston’s depth and opportunities missed:

  • “If you get anywhere decent scoring shooting from Pritchard and White… this game obviously goes very differently.” (27:10)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:12] Show start & episode theme: Dissecting the late-game collapse
• [08:30–13:30] Fourth quarter turning point, Denver’s run, Celtics’ sloppiness
• [13:40] Breakdowns: Shooting, turnovers, and Boston being punished for mistakes
• [20:00–25:00] Jaylen Brown’s statline, frustration with refs, MVP conversation consequences
• [25:20–27:30] Celtics’ bench production, Denver’s depth outshining Boston
• [29:20–33:00] Team-wide regression, upcoming schedule, playoff implications, what needs to improve

Tone & Style

John Karalis maintains an analytical, candid, and slightly conversational style—balancing deep basketball insights with a sense of perspective (“It’s okay to lose sometimes in the NBA”). He’s transparent both in analysis (“I don’t like that version of Jalen…”) and in what this loss means going forward—neither doomsaying nor sugarcoating. He also brings in league context, MVP discourse, and the impact of national perception on individual accolades.

For Those Who Missed the Episode…

You’ll walk away understanding exactly how and why Boston let this one slip late, how Jaylen Brown’s rough fourth quarter could ripple into MVP discourse, and which role players mattered on both sides. The show highlights key numbers, coaching decisions, and what’s at stake as the Celtics enter a crucial stretch in their schedule.