With each team missing a key piece or pieces on Thursday night, the Boston Celtics went into the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and beat the red hot Brooklyn Nets 109-98.
Brooklyn, who was coming in winners of 14 of their last 15 games that has catapulted them up to second place in the Eastern Conference, had to play their first game without Kevin Durant who will miss up to a month with an MCL strain. The game was close throughout, with 11 lead changes and eight ties. The Nets led by as many as nine early in the second quarter, but the visiting Celtics ended the first half by scoring 26 of the next 40 points before the break to take a 60-57 lead to the intermission. The third quarter was also tight, with Boston leading by as many as six and Brooklyn out in front by five, but a late Payton Pritchard layup had the guests up 84-82 heading to the fourth. The C’s broke it open some in the final period going on a 12-2 run in the first 4:46 capped off by a Luke Kornet alley-oop dunk off a feed from Marcus Smart to make it 96-84. They led by as many as 13 down the stretch, as the Nets didn’t get any closer than seven after the run.
Jayson Tatum led the way in the win with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. Smart and Malcolm Brogdon had 16 points a piece, with Smart adding six rebounds and 10 assists. Also scoring in double figures was Derrick White with 15, Grant Williams 12, and Kornet with 11. Boston played without Jaylen Brown (right adductor strain) and Al Horford (lower back stiffness). Brown could miss a week or two according to interim head coach Joe Mazzulla, while Horford usually rests on the second night of a back to back. Brooklyn (27-14) was led by Kyrie Irving who had 24 points, and T.J. Warren who had 20. The Celtics have won five in a row to go to 31-12, and will travel to Charlotte to play the Hornets on Saturday night.
Recap by Chris Lessner
