The Boston Celtics defeated the Brooklyn Nets 104-96. Kristaps Porzingis scored 25 points with 13 rebounds and 3 blocks. But the real surprise was Boston rookie Baylor Scheierman, scoring 20 points on six three-pointers. The Celtics were without their two stars, as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were both out. Cam Thomas was out for the Nets. The Boston Celtics improved to 50-19 and Brooklyn dropped to 23-46.
The Boston Celtics Slow Start
In their three previous matchups, the Boston Celtics had beaten the Nets all three times, but they have had some close games. Porzingis got things started for the Celtics. He scored their first seven points. But the rest of the team started cold. Brooklyn was firing from three and the shots were falling, giving them an early lead. The first quarter was fast-paced, and it benefited the Nets. They were shooting well and creating turnovers. At the end of the quarter, Brooklyn led 26-21. D’Angelo Russell, Keon Johnson, and Day’Ron Sharpe each had 5 points.
The Boston Celtics attempted to trim the lead in the second quarter. They had an opening flurry, but the Nets answered, and their hot shooting extended their lead. They were knocking down threes in abundance while Boston could not get one to go down. Brooklyn took a nine-point lead before the Celtics went on a 7-0 run to close the gap. The Nets went on a run of their own, going back up by nine. This was how most of the quarter went. Boston would make a comeback effort before Brooklyn responded. At halftime, the Boston Celtics trailed 49-44.
The Nets’ hot shooting gave them an edge in the first half, but it was also their defense. They forced six turnovers while shooting 50% from the field for most of the half. They were getting production from everyone. Russell had 8 points while Sharpe and Ziare Williams each had 7. The Boston Celtics, on the other hand, were only getting production from Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. Porzingis had 14 points and Holiday had 8. Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and Sam Hauser shot poorly, and the team shot 25% from three. 44 points in a half was exceptionally low, even with Tatum and Brown out.
Contributions From Everyone
Russell stayed hot to start the third quarter, but White and Horford responded, helping the Boston Celtics tie the game. After a cold first half, White rattled off seven quick points in the third. Porzingis got a few blocks on the defensive end, but through all of it, the Nets held the lead. Johnson and Williams made multiple contested threes. But White was hot, getting and-ones and deep threes to go. A Pritchard three finally gave the Celtics a lead. Again, Brooklyn struck back and retook the lead. However, in the quarter’s final seconds, Scheierman drilled a buzzer-beating three. The rookie gave the Boston Celtics a 71-70 lead. White scored 13 points in the quarter.
Scheierman, who has rarely seen the floor this season, made another three to start the fourth quarter. He was making the most of his minutes, hustling for rebounds and taking charges. The Nets battled, taking the lead, but Scheierman was having a night and made two more three-pointers. He finished the game with six. Both teams began to trade the long ball, and with four minutes remaining, the Boston Celtics held a 92-88 lead.
Porzingis converted an and-one, and a Holiday layup put Boston up by eight. After a few Brooklyn misses, a Porzingis bucket made it a 10-point game with less than two minutes to go. The Nets cut it down to four before a Porzingis alley-oop jam. From there, the game devolved into a free throw battle, and the Boston Celtics held on for a 104-96 win.
Final Thoughts
The Boston Celtics improved to 50-19 with the win. Porzingis scored 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting with 13 rebounds and 3 blocks. Scheierman had a career night off the bench with 20 points, shooting 6-of-7 from three. These were career highs for the rookie, and he did it all in 16 minutes of playing time. The Nets fell to 23-46. Russell had 18 points and Williams had 15. This win gave the Boston Celtics the 4-0 sweep over Brooklyn in the season series.
