The Celtics shook off a slow start, defeating the Nets 139-114 on Wednesday in Brooklyn to bounce-back after a recent rough stretch. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had their fingerprints all over the win, combining for 60 points. The C’s improved to 10-3 on the season while the Nets fell to 5-7.
The Nets were once again able to build a double-digit lead in the first quarter just like they did in last Friday’s game between the two teams. The C’s were a little slow to start again, but they quickly made it a close game from there. By halftime, they had a five-point lead.
The Celtics were able to create some distance in the third quarter, building up their own double-digit lead as the buckets came easy all night. But as seen in the Hawks loss Tuesday, there’s no time to rest as teams can erase that kind of deficit quickly. There were no worries this time as the Celtics’ lead peaked at 30 points Wednesday, finishing off the victory.
Tatum had 36 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Celtics. Brown added another 24 points and 12 rebounds. Ziaire Williams had 23 points for the Nets while Cam Thomas added another 17.
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The Celtics take on the Raptors at 8 p.m. Saturday for their next game as they have a multi-day break for the first time this season. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Brooklyn:
Impressive offense: While the Nets showed off some solid offense, the Celtics were overwhelming Wednesday. The 139 points represents a season-high as the C’s just filled it up all night. They scored at least 32 points in all four quarters of play. Boston also shot a blistering 22-for-46 (47.8%) on 3-pointers on the second night of a back-to-back. That all resulted in a comfortable win for the Celtics.
Star duo: Brown vowed after the Hawks loss that he and Tatum needed to be better for their team consistently — that included turnovers. Well, the Celtics’ two best players delivered throughout Wednesday’s game. Brown also finished with zero turnovers while Tatum committed just one. That was more than enough as the Celtics followed that offensive output down the stretch. Tatum finished 5-for-6 from 3-point land as he narrowly missed the triple-double, falling just rebound shy.
Added opportunity: While Derrick White has been red-hot to start the year, he was limited Wednesday due to foul trouble. He picked up three fouls in the first half as he played just five minutes. But that meant more minutes for Payton Pritchard — the bench guard again filled it up with his playing time. Pritchard was seemingly everywhere as his high-energy play was much-needed on the second game of a back-to-back. Pritchard finished with 23 points, six rebounds and eight assists as part of an impressive night.
Finding his shot: It’s been a slow start for Sam Hauser as he came into Wednesday’s game shooting just 31.4% on 3-pointers. He also missed some games due to a sore back as he hasn’t made as much of an impact yet this season. But the sharpshooter took a step forward Wednesday, knocking in a season-high four 3-pointers. He finished 4-for-10 from behind the arc for 12 points. As the Celtics know, Hauser can get hot quickly, so they’ll hope he can flash those abilities down the line.
