The Boston Celtics hoped to bounce back against the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday night after dropping a game they should have won to the Miami Heat the night before, but — fresh off a win over the NBA-best Milwaukee Bucks — the Nets weren’t about to roll over.
Brooklyn jumped out to an early lead after winning the tip, the Celtics staying close if playing a bit flat to start. After a timeout at the seven-minute mark, they began playing better defense, but two quick fouls sent forward Jayson Tatum to the bench.
Boston tied it up at 14 with a trey from Jaylen Brown with six left in the frame, and the Cal-Berkeley product took a 20-16 lead as he started to get aggressive beyond the arc.
Time Lord with the throw down 🔨 pic.twitter.com/SRGkEbZbNn
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 6, 2020
The Nets stayed close as Robert Williams III made his first substantial appearance of the Disney restart, and Time Lord actually had a positive impact on the game despite a few ugly plays.
A third foul for Tatum with 1:30 left in the first quarter prompted an unsuccessful coach’s challenge from head coach Brad Stevens, sending the Duke product to the bench.
A Time Lord flush off a Marcus Smart lob gave the Celtics a seven-point lead, and a pair of makes from the free throw line by Gordon Hayward sent Boston into the the second up 34-25.
END OF Q1 pic.twitter.com/txhCqD67TO
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 6, 2020
The second quarter saw the Indiana native back at the stripe to start the frame followed by a 3-pointer to push the lead to 14, then 16 as he started to heat up.
The Celtics pushed the lead as high as 21 with the second unit taking the floor, but the Nets fought back and cut the lead to 17 with a little over three minutes left in the half.
Brooklyn threatened to make a game of things at several junctures throughout the frame, cutting the lead to as little as 13.
But, Boston kept their foot on the gas and came away with a 71-52 lead going into the break despite Tatum remaining on the bench with foul trouble.
not when @fchwpo's around ❎ pic.twitter.com/dzfhmSkwtq
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 6, 2020
The penultimate frame began with a Nets layup by Joe Harris, but Brown answered back with a 3-pointer, and then an oop on the play after.
Tatum, back in the game, pushed the lead to 24 with just under 10 to play in the quarter, then 25 with a trey immediately afterwards.
The Nets showed some signs of life, cutting the lead to 88-67 off a Tyler Johnson layup, but a Tatum trey and Smart getting fouled on a 3 of his own put Boston up 27 with just under four minutes left in the quarter.
The Celtics would lead by as much as much as 29, finishing the quarter up 106-77.
Up big heading into the fourth pic.twitter.com/XN6x34SGIj
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 6, 2020
The final frame saw Jeremiah Martin hit a layup to start the quarter, but Williams would immediately negate that with a flush.
Boston didn’t let up, pushing the lead to 31 off a Time Lord make with 11 minutes left in the game as the Texas A&M product quickly erased the memory of his rough start.
Hayward would push the lead to 33 with a breakaway dunk at just under the nine minute mark, and Stevens would pull the starters with seven to play.
By the end of the game, every active Celtic would get on the board in the blowout victory, Boston shattering their season high for offense with the 149-115.
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