Jayson Tatum fell crashing to the floor hard. His one-legged, impossible fadeaway jumper at the buzzer had missed, just like so many other Celtics shots on this night. Jamal Murray tossed the ball full court as the Nuggets pulled off what no other team has been able to do this season.

For the first time, the Celtics lost at home on Friday night. It came at the hands of the defending champions, showing them that there’s still plenty to improve on over the second half of this season before their attempt to finally get over the hump this spring.

The final shot was almost fitting. Tatum scored 22 points on a rough shooting night, Jaylen Brown had just 13. The Celtics wilted offensively in the second half as brick after brick piled up. They had no answer for Nikola Jokic, who finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, or Murray, who had 35 points including a dominant fourth quarter as they handed the Celtics a crushing 102-100 loss at TD Garden, their first loss at home since last spring.

Other quick takeaways:

– Where would the Celtics be without Derrick White? His All-Star candidacy can be summed up with his play on Friday night, and specifically the third quarter. While the Celtics struggled to find their open shot and contain Jokic and Murray, White’s play on both ends in the third was pivotal in keeping the Celtics afloat and in front. He forced a steal that led to a fast-break floater over Jokic, and moments later drew a charge while scoring six consecutive points, including a three-point play that earned a kiss on the forehead from Porzingis. When he went to the line to shoot his free throw, White earned more MVP chants from the Garden crowd.

– The Celtics led by six at halftime but missed an opportunity to have a bigger lead. Behind a strong defensive second quarter, they led by 12 with less than four minutes remaining in the period but made just one shot – a Jaylen Brown triple in the final minute – to finish the half. The Celtics even grabbed five offensive rebounds on one possession but came up empty.

The C’s, after a hot start from deep, finished the first half 10-for-26 from long range, and finished 14-for-44 from distance.

– Tatum can’t get a break with the hanging-on-the-rim technical fouls.

The Celtics star was called for yet another one in the second quarter. After grabbing a steal, Tatum went coast to coast and flushed the ball with two hands. He swung through the dunk and propped himself up above the rim for an extra second – seemingly because Porzingis was underneath him – before being assessed a technical foul. He and his Celtics teammates voiced their displeasure as heavy boos rained down at TD Garden.

It briefly halted the Celtics’ momentum but didn’t completely ruin it as they went on a 9-1 run.