BOSTON -- Brad Stevens likes the feeling around his Boston Celtics these days.

Winning four games in six nights will do that for a coach.

"They've all been really together and pulling in one direction in the locker room," Stevens said after guard Avery Bradley matched his season high with 27 points and the Celtics clubbed the Denver Nuggets 111-103 on Wednesday night.

"And so the guys that are playing are playing well, and when the next man's number is called, he'll play well."

This mini-stretch, which has Boston's record up to 26-21, started with a home win over the Chicago Bulls. The Celtics, winners of seven of their past nine, have won three games in the past four nights, all against sub-.500 teams that a good club should beat.

"Coming up on the All-Star break, we want to get every game," said Bradley, who scored 21 points in the first half for the Celtics, who won at Philadelphia on Sunday and at Washington on Monday.

Boston broke an 11-11 tie with eight consecutive points and was never caught after that.

The Celtics led by 15 after three quarters and then went on a 9-0 run that started the fourth quarter and made the home fans happy. Guard Evan Turner scored six straight points after forward Kelly Olynyk opened the quarter with Boston's ninth 3-pointer of the game.

Up by 24 with 8:48 left, the Celtics withstood a run by the Nuggets, led by swingman Will Barton, that got the margin down to 10 twice. However, Turner made two more baskets in a quick spurt that got the lead back up 14. Denver to cut it to eight in the final minute, but the outcome was never in doubt.

The Celtics had 15 steals, the fifth time this season they have done that, matching the most by the franchise since the 2003-04 team had six. They also forced 20 turnovers, and have created 20 or more in each of the four games in the winning streak.

"They say defense wins games and I definitely believe that," Bradley said. "Once we get a stop, we have been able to get games."

Denver coach Mike Malone said, "They had 15 steals. They're very active. I talked about how they're good defensive players prior to the game. You cannot beat yourself on the road against a good team, and that's what we did tonight."

Stevens downplayed the number of steals, saying he doesn't want his players caught up in that stat and noting, "All it means is we're in good position."

Talking about the Celtics, Malone said, "I'm a big fan. I like the makeup of that team. I like the toughness, the tenacity. They go out and make teams feel them.

"It starts with their guards -- Avery Bradley, (Jae) Crowder, (Marcus) Smart. I call them pitbulls. They get after you, and so does everybody else."

Olynyk came off the bench to contribute 17 points and seven rebounds, and Thomas had 16 points and five assists.

Turner, also off the bench, had 14 points (10 in the fourth quarter), six assists and four rebounds. Crowder scored 13 points and forward Amir Johnson posted 13 rebounds (seven offensive), six assists and nine points. Bradley added four steals.

Denver, playing its first game after a 4-4 homestand, got 23 points apiece from Barton, who had 13 in the fourth quarter and did his damage off the bench in 26:15 of playing time, and forward Danilo Gallinari, who also grabbed seven rebounds.

Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried had 15 points and 15 rebounds. Guard Gary Harris also scored 15 and had seven boards, and rookie guard Emmanuel Mudiay added 13 points for Denver (17-29).

NOTES: Nuggets rookie C Nikola Jokic and first-year G Emmaunel Mudiay were named to the World team and Celtics second-year G Marcus Smart to the U.S. squad for the Feb. 12 BBVA Compass Rising Stars game on All-Star Weekend in Toronto. ... The Celtics continue to push G Isaiah Thomas, who was averaging 25.4 points and 6.4 assists in the previous 10 games, for an All-Star spot. "I hope that he makes it from the standpoint of how hard he works, how much time he puts in, how much of an impact he has on us, but I think it would also be a feather in the cap of his teammates," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. ... Denver G Jameer Nelson missed his sixth straight game with a sprained wrist. ... The Nuggets are allowing 111.5 points in their past six games.