DENVER — Nene's knee might just be bruised, but the Nuggets looked broken.

The Nuggets breathed a sigh of relief earlier Monday when they learned their starting center had no structural damage to his injured right knee, although he's in line to be out two weeks.

But it was surprising the Nuggets were breathing at all by day's end after Boston got done pummeling them 114-76 at the Pepsi Center.

"We caught a team that was angry, that was (ticked) off and wanted to beat us and embarrass us," said Nuggets coach George Karl, whose team suffered its third straight loss.

The defending champions did just that as they avenged a 94-85 home loss to the Nuggets on Nov. 14.

The Nuggets (37-20) suffered what was tied for their second- worst home loss in the team's 33-year NBA history. The only worse setback was 111-72 against Chicago on Feb. 2, 1998.

The Celtics (46-12) took a 25-11 lead and spent the rest of the game extending it. Guard Ray Allen scored a game-high 26 points and forward Paul Pierce added 22.

"It's a tough patch right now," said Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups, whose team had played Friday and Sunday to conclude a stretch of eight straight road games. "Shoot, we've been on the road 21/2 weeks and we come home and we've got too play right away, back-to-back. It's tough."

Even Boston coach Doc Rivers had sympathy.

"They came off a trip (that's) eight games in a row on the road," said Rivers, whose Celtics played their second game with Kevin Garnett out because of a knee injury. "You play in Milwaukee (on Sunday) and have a back-to-back game at home in Denver? I don't know if there's a more difficult schedule."

At least the Nuggets, who got a team-high 19 points from guard J.R. Smith, won't practice today and can rest before playing host to Atlanta on Wednesday. But Nene will need a longer rest.

While the Nuggets were relieved Nene, who banged knees in the final minute Sunday with Milwaukee's Richard Jefferson, only has a bone bruise on his right knee, a source close to the situation said the most likely scenario is he will be out two weeks.

"Nene getting hurt in the last minute of the last game was heavy for us," said Karl, who said his team was "tired" and "ran out of gas."

In Nene's place, Karl started sparingly used Johan Petro, who was one of the Nuggets' few positives. Petro totaled nine points and 10 rebounds in 21 minutes.

"The one big plus is he shows he has the skills to be on an NBA court," Karl said.

There was at least one other bright spot for the Nuggets faithful. Before the game, forward Carmelo Anthony was presented by USA Basketball with his diamond 2008 Olympic championship ring.

Six gold medalists got their rings Feb. 15 during All-Star Weekend. The others are being honored in their home cities.

"That was a good thing that happened," Anthony said.

There wasn't much else.

Billups scored a season-low three points. The Nuggets watched Boston shoot 14-of-23 on three-pointers, including 3-of-4 in the fourth quarter, when the Celtics never led by fewer than 26.

Karl didn't believe the Celtics were running up the score. Still, there was even more insult to injury when Boston fans were chanting "Let's go Celtics" late in the game.

"We lost," Anthony said. "Ain't really that much you can say about that. . . . We'll take it on the chin and get ready for Wednesday. . . . Our confidence is still high. Everybody still their heads are high."

And at least everybody's heads still were intact after the physical game. Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin, who returned after missing 1 1/2 games because of back spasms, got a flagrant foul 1 for checking Allen over the baseline late in the first half.

Nuggets guard Anthony Carter early in the fourth quarter floored Allen on a three-point attempt, which he made and converted a four-point play. But Allen got a bruised tailbone on the play, and he and Carter then got technicals after getting mixed up.

"This was going to be a nasty, battle game, and we were going to have to be ready for it," Rivers said.

In the end, Karl believed the Celtics got the advantage from the officials.

"They were getting almost all of the calls," Karl said. "I just don't think they deserved that much respect. They're a great team. Great teams don't need help, but sometimes the heavyweight champ gets the benefit of the doubt."

Score this one a first-round knockout by the Celtics.

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