The Boston Celtics closed out their regular season on a high note with a 110-97 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night at TD Garden.
Boston took control of the game after falling behind early in the first and there was no stopping it from there. The C’s never trailed at the end of any quarter, going up by as much as 13 points at the end of the third. They did so without Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Al Horford, all of whom were out of action for rest.
Nik Stauskas led Brooklyn with 18 points, but it wasn’t enough for the Nets as the team had its three-game win streak snapped to end the season.
With the win, Boston finishes the 2017-18 regular season at 55-27, while Brooklyn falls to 28-54.
Here’s how it all went down:
STARTING FIVE:
PG: Shane Larkin
SG: Jabari Bird
SF: Abdel Nader
PF: Guershon Yabusele
C: Aron Baynes
ALL OF AUSTRALIA TAKES CHARGE
After the Nets went up 10-4 to start the game, it was Baynes who was the star of the first quarter, shooting 6-of-11 with 14 points and seven rebounds in the first nine minutes. Meanwhile, the rest of the team shot 5-for-18 for 13 points after going down early in the frame. But a 15-0 run helped spark an offensive surge for the C’s.
The Nets turned the ball over five times despite outshooting Boston by the slimmest of margins before the C’s took a 27-22 lead into the second.
FULL TEAM EFFORT
Brooklyn came into the second quarter fighting and even briefly regained the lead briefly, but it wouldn’t last long as newcomer Jonathan Gibson made an impact on the court, showing off his speed and making his way to the basket to help widen Boston’s lead.
Baynes continued to put up points, grabbing a first-half double-double in the process. Boston took a 10-point lead into the half.
NO STOPPING THE CELTICS
The third was Brooklyn’s best quarter, scoring 27 points to Boston’s 30, but the C’s were getting points from Baynes, Yabusele and Larkin, who was flirting with a triple-double by the end of the quarter with 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Gibson continued to prove he could make an impact.
THE C’S CLOSE IT OUT
After finishing the night with a career-high 26 points to go along with his 14 rebounds, Baynes sat out the fourth with a double-double intact, but the Celtics still cruised to victory. Brooklyn looked like a completely different team, with D’Angelo Russell giving a poor defensive performance, which helped Boston gather 27 points in the final minutes of their final regular-season game after a full team effort for 48 minutes.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT
Larkin to Baynes for an easy two points.
UP NEXT
The Celtics are on to the NBA playoffs and a first-round date with the Milwaukee Bucks.
