With a season-high 39 points on the night, including 18 from trey-balls, Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker delivered the team’s most sensational performance on a night when they needed every bit of his offensive prowess.
Walker used screen after screen to get open from deep, knocking in a series of treys in the second and third quarter to keep Boston in the game despite Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie and center Jarrett Allen taking advantage of the Celtics’ iffy interior defense.
Dinwiddie and Allen would finish Wednesday’s game with a combined 33 points.
The performance, which comes days after Walker injured his neck in a loss to the Denver Nuggets, earned the star guard much-appreciated MVP chants at the end of the game.
Kemba is a BUCKET. Season-high 39 points tonight 😤 (via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/AmK6qiUGgx
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) November 28, 2019
One that was electrified by Celtics fans’ disdain for Nets point guard Kyrie Irving, even though (and also because) the six-time All-Star never set foot on the court.
Kemba on the chants: "I don’t really pay attention to the Kyrie stuff. That’s just the fans and how they feel….And of course the MVP chants are really great. It’s always a great feeling to have support from your fan base and I most definitely appreciate this fan base."
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) November 28, 2019
While Walker was the star of the game, Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown had yet another strong performance, taking the ball to the rack consistently on his way to a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double.
He also recorded three steals and a block though he couldn’t contain Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris, who finished the game with 21 points while shooting 5-9 from three.
Jaylen Brown on chasing around Joe Harris: "Joe be running like he running from the police. Jesus Christ. As soon as you turn your head, he gone. It was a good challenge and it was a good way to get going." Harris had five 3s, 21 points tonight.
— Nicole Yang (@nicolecyang) November 28, 2019
Like Harris, Nets guard Garrett Temple also lit Boston up from beyond the arc, scoring 22 points while going 6-12 from three.
The Nets played Boston tough despite missing Irving and it took a strong fourth quarter start for the Celtics to extend the lead to the point it became insurmountable.
Ultimately, it wasn’t an encouraging win — especially with Celtics forward Jayson Tatum continuing to struggle from the field (5-17) — but there were positives to draw from the victory, like Walker having his best game of the season and looking as if he’s perfectly healthy after having a scary injury last week.