The Boston Celtics faced the Brooklyn Nets in TD Garden, winning 108-104 in overtime. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 33 points while Cam Thomas scored 31 for the Nets. After a loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Celtics bounced back, winning a game that was competitive almost the entire way. The Nets got out to a lead, but the Celtics clawed their way back and won in overtime. The Boston Celtics are now 8-2 with the victory, while the Nets dropped to 4-5.
A Hot Brooklyn Nets Start
The Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets entered this game shorthanded. While the Nets were without Bojan Bogdanovic, the Celtics were still missing their star, Jaylen Brown for a fourth consecutive game. Boston was also without Luke Kornet, so Xavier Tillman was slotted into the starting lineup for the first time this season. The Nets got off to a hot start, taking a 12-0 lead. The Celtics came out sloppy and a hungry Brooklyn team took advantage. Boston did eventually respond, however, cutting into the early deficit.
At the end of the first quarter, the Brooklyn Nets led 28-24. Jayson Tatum helped spark the early comeback from Boston with 11 first quarter points. For the Nets, a plethora of players tallied up the box score early, but it was Cam Thomas and Cameron Johnson who led the way. Thomas had 6 points and Johnson had 5. In the second quarter, the Nets continued to play well and did not allow the Celtics to get the lead back. The Boston Celtics cut it close multiple times in the second quarter, but the Nets would not relent.
At halftime, the Boston Celtics trailed 51-49. Cam Thomas was lighting it up for Brooklyn, scoring 20 in the first half on 7-of-14 shooting. Thomas has always been a shot-creating player and put that to full effect in this game. Ben Simmons was also a key contributor, doing a bit of everything with 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard were doing their part for Boston with 14 points each.
The Celtics Battle Back
The Boston Celtics took their first lead of the game in the third quarter off an Al Horford three. But, again, the Nets shot making and the Celtics misses allowed the Nets to build back their lead. For Boston, the game felt like a constant repetition of fighting back only to go cold and find themselves in a hole again. But Tatum’s aggression certainly helped things for the Celtics. He was getting to the basket at will and pushing the tempo in transition. Tatum had 13 points in the third, half of what the Celtics scored in the quarter. But they still trailed heading into the fourth down 78-76.
The fourth quarter was more of the same. The Boston Celtics tied the game at 80, only to immediately go down four after an and-one off a missed free throw. The Celtics then cut it to a two-point game before the Nets quickly took a six-point lead. Boston then made it a one-point game with five minutes to play. A Jrue Holiday bucket gave Boston the lead and the crowd was alive. But Dennis Schroeder drilled a three to put Brooklyn back up. Then, Sam Hauser, who had been cold all night, made a three to give Boston the lead back.
This back-and-forth led to a tie game, 92-92 with 32.7 seconds remaining. The Boston Celtics ran a quick two-man play with Holiday feeding Tatum downhill for a dunk. But a foul sent Cameron Johnson to the line, where he tied the game with two free throws. With a miss to end regulation, the Celtics and Nets were going to overtime.
Overtime
In the overtime period, both teams traded baskets. This went until Al Horford drained a corner three, and a tough Tatum fadeaway put the Celtics up by three. The Nets had a chance to tie, but Tatum’s defense forced a Cam Thomas miss and the Nets had to foul from there. The Boston Celtics closed out the victory, winning 108-104. The Brooklyn Nets gave them a fight, but Boston pulled out the win with a great Tatum performance.
Final Thoughts
The Boston Celtics improved to 8-2 with this win. Tatum finished with 33 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. Payton Pritchard had 20 off the bench and Jrue Holiday had 17. This was a good win for Boston, even if they have the talent to beat Brooklyn by much more. It was encouraging to see them gut out a close game, after losing close games against the Pacers and Warriors. Brooklyn was led by Cam Thomas with 31 points. They led for most of the game, and even though they fell to 4-5 in the loss, they sowed they could compete with the best.
