The Boston Celtics put five players in double figures, and started out the game with a 28-2 run on Tuesday night in a resounding 126-91 win over the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Boston has now won six games in a row.
Brooklyn (29-25), now losers of nine straight, cut into that big early deficit and sliced it to 37-25 on a Javon Carter three-pointer about three minutes into the second quarter. That is close as they’d get however. Boston finished the period by outscoring the Nets 32-18 to make it 69-43 at the half. The Celtics would lead by that 35 point margin of victory several times in the second half, their largest of the night. They also become the first NBA team in history to ever score 28 of the first 30 points of a game.
Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown both had 22 points to lead Boston to the win. Brown added seven rebounds and nine assists and Smart hit 6-13 from three-point land. Jayson Tatum had 19 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Also getting into double figures was Robert Williams III with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks and Dennis Schroeder contributed 11 points. Carter led Brooklyn with 21 points. The Nets again were without James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant due to injury. Boston (31-25) has now moved ahead of Brooklyn in the Eastern Conference standings and is now in sixth place tied with the Toronto Raptors. The Celtics will host the Denver Nuggets at TD Garden on Friday night at 7:30.
