The Celtics closed out their weeklong visit to Abu Dhabi in emphatic fashion Sunday, sweeping the Denver Nuggets with a 130-104 beatdown at Etihad Arena.

As Boston heads home to continue its preseason, here are six takeaways from the blowout win:

1. Jaylen Brown flexes his muscles

Midway through the second quarter, Brown received a pass from Tatum in the left corner, squared up Jamal Murray and flat-out bullied the Nuggets guard down the baseline. He capped the bulldozing drive by sinking a short bucket over Murray and then hit him with a “too small” celebration.

Brown reported to training camp noticeably buffer than he was when he lifted his NBA Finals MVP trophy back in June, and he was in midseason form in Abu Dhabi, playing with a distinct confidence and physicality. He led all Celtics scorers Sunday with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting.

2. Jayson Tatum’s shot is trending up

It’s never wise to put too much stock in preseason games, but the Celtics have to be pleased with what they saw from Tatum from a shooting perspective this weekend.

Tatum went 6-for-14 from 3-point range (42.9%) across the two games in Abu Dhabi and added a couple of slick midrange fadeaways during Sunday’s 17-point outing. The work he did to repair his shooting mechanics after an inconsistent postseason and Olympics seems to be paying off.

3. Al Horford rests again

The Celtics’ oldest player wound up being only an observer during the team’s trip to the Middle East. The 38-year-old Horford sat out both of Boston’s games for rest purposes.

Horford is expected to be the primary replacement for recovering center Kristaps Porzingis to open the season, and his Abu Dhabi DNPs aren’t a cause for concern. But they do underscore how important his backups will be until Porzingis returns, as Horford won’t be able to shoulder a full starter’s workload in his 18th NBA season.

Luke Kornet should be the top option behind Horford, as he was for most of last season’s playoffs. Kornet started both exhibitions and played well.

Xavier Tillman was the first big off the bench on Friday. On Sunday, that was Neemias Queta, who had some unsurprising issues defending Denver’s three-time NBA MVP, Nikola Jokic (20 points in 18 minutes).

Queta and Tillman both played into the fourth quarter, with head coach Joe Mazzulla deploying both of them together during one prolonged stretch. The 6-foot-8 Tillman hit one 3-pointer (he was 3-for-5 across the two games) and finished with 10 points, three rebounds and two assists in 15 minutes. The 7-foot Queta was a plus-22 in 17 minutes, the second-best mark of any Celtic.

4. Joe Mazzulla stretches out his starting five

The Celtics shut down their non-Kornet starters at halftime on Friday. They gave their top dogs a bit more run in Game 2, putting Tatum, Brown and Derrick White back out for a brief shift at the start of the third quarter.

White was especially impactful early in the game, snatching two offensive rebounds in the opening minutes. He finished with 13 points (5-of-10 shooting), five boards, six assists and one steal in 23 minutes. White’s steal triggered a fast break, and Brown capitalized with a rim-rattling dunk.

Jrue Holiday did not play in the second half but upped his workload from 12 minutes to 17. Holiday is 34 and played in the Olympics this summer, so wasn’t surprising to see Mazzulla dial down his playing time.

For the second straight game, Boston’s second unit featured Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Jaden Springer and Jordan Walsh, with Kornet, Queta and Tillman cycling through the five spot.

5. Hauser and Pritchard can’t miss

Pritchard was the off-the-bench difference-maker in the first game against Denver, a 107-103 Boston win. Hauser did the honors in the rematch, burying each of his first six shots (including three threes) to help the Celtics build a 33-point second-half lead. He missed just once in the win and finished with 15 points.

Pritchard got off to an inauspicious start Sunday with three fouls in his first minute of action, but he soon joined the party, too. The backup point guard made his first five shots en route to a 5-for-7 showing, notching 14 points.

Both varied their arsenals in this one. After attempting just one two-point shot between them on Friday, Hauser and Pritchard took more twos (four each) than threes (three each) on Sunday, showing more of a willingness to drive to the basket. Their deep shooting was effective, though, as they combined to go 5-for-6 from three.

6. More growing pains for Baylor Scheierman

Could the Celtics’ first-round draft pick could play his way into the rotation as a 24-year-old rookie? Sure. But he’s not close to pushing for playing time at this point.

Scheierman is off to an underwhelming start in his first NBA preseason, going 1-for-9 from the floor and 1-for-7 from 3-point range over the two games in Abu Dhabi. His mechanics look off, and several of his threes have missed badly. He also was whistled for traveling Sunday and missed a tough layup.

Veteran wing Lonnie Walker IV, who’s with the Celtics on an Exhibit 10 tryout contract, also didn’t do much to climb the depth chart during this trip. He went 0-for-4 on Sunday and, like Scheierman, didn’t see the floor until the fourth quarter.

So far, Springer and Walsh have been Mazzulla’s preferred reserve options alongside the returning Pritchard/Hauser duo and the Kornet/Tillman/Queta big man rotation. Whether Scheierman, Walker or any of Boston’s other end-of-the-bench hopefuls can make a push for those spots will be a key storyline as the Celtics begin the North American portion of their preseason schedule.

The Celtics will host the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors at TD Garden next Saturday and Sunday, then visit the Raptors the following Tuesday to finish their exhibition slate.