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Key Moment
It’s difficult to come back against any NBA team after falling behind by 26 points in the first quarter. It’s exceedingly difficult to do so against the best defensive team in the NBA., which the Boston Celtics have been since the latter days of 2021.
Boston picked the Nets apart during the opening frame of Tuesday night’s matchup to build up an astonishing 28-2 run over the first six-plus minutes of the game. That stands as the fastest the Celtics have ever built a 26-point lead during the play-by-play era, which dates back to the 1997-98 season.
As one might imagine, the teams’ shooting numbers were at opposite ends of the spectrum throughout that opening stretch. The Celtics canned 12 of their 15 shot attempts, including three 3-pointers and baskets from four different players.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the court, Boston’s defense suffocated the Nets into near nonexistence. The C’s forced Brooklyn into eight straight misses to open the game, and 14 misses on its first 15 attempts overall. Boston also forced five turnovers during that stretch, which equates to nearly a turnover per minute.
As was stated at the top of this segment, it’s exceedingly difficult to come back after falling behind by 26 against the NBA’s top defense. This game was more proof of that fact. The Celtics never blinked and went on to pull ahead by as many as 35 points multiple times, which also marked the final margin at 126-91.
Key Player
Jaylen Brown was one of multiple Celtics who put together a complete game Tuesday night. Of all of them, however, his was certainly the most impressive.
Brown not only tied for the team lead in scoring with 22 points, but he also led the game in assists with nine. His nine helpers were two more than the game’s next-highest total of seven, which was tallied by Al Horford.
The great thing about this performance was that Brown needed little time to put it together. He played only 27-plus minutes of action, during which he was effortlessly efficient. Brown shot 9-for-12 from the field, including 8-for-9 from inside the 3-point arc.
The talented wing rounded out his box score with seven rebounds, and Boston outscored Brooklyn by 40 points while he was on the floor.
Box Score Nuggets
- Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart each played exactly 27:36 of game action, and Boston outscored Brooklyn by 40 points during those minutes.
- Brown and Smart tied for the team lead in scoring with 22 points apiece.
- Enes Freedom made his first 3-pointer of the season.
- Boston led from start to finish and pulled ahead by 35 points multiple times.
- Freedom tallied a game-high 12 rebounds in only 12 minutes of action.
- The C's limited Brooklyn to only 38.4 percent shooting from the field.
- Brown led the game with nine assists.
- All five of Boston's starters finished with a plus/minus rating of plus-31 or better.
- Boston's starters outscored Brooklyn's starters 84-21.
- Robert Williams logged a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds and also blocked a game-high three shots.
- Jevon Carter led Brooklyn with 21 points. He scored all 21 points from 3-point range by canning seven triples
- Both teams committed 13 turnovers.
Quote of the Night
Ime Udoka on Boston's dominant defense