The Boston Celtics saw again just how good a healthy Brooklyn Nets team will be this season.
The Celtics suffered their first loss of the season Friday at TD Garden, falling to the Nets 123-95 in their Christmas Day clash.
It was a second straight game that Kevin Durant showed just how good he can still be, taking over the third quarter when the game got away from Boston. Durant finished with 29 points on just 16 shots while Kyrie Irving posted a game-high 37 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
Boston was led by its usual suspects in Jayson Tatum (20 points) and Jaylen Brown (27 points), but the C’s clearly missed an offensive playmaker when those two were not on the floor.
Brooklyn completely dominated the second half, overcoming a three-point lead before outscoring Boston by 31 points in the second half.
Here’s how it went down:
STARTING FIVE
PG: Marcus Smart
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Tristan Thompson
C: Daniel Theis
TIGHT AT THE START
Marcus Smart hit a pair of 3-pointers while Tristan Thompson committed three first-quarter fouls as the Celtics closed the opening 12 minutes with a modest 26-22 deficit.
No team led by more than six as Brooklyn took a 10-4 lead four minutes in. Tatum was held scoreless in the first quarter as Boston shot 3-for-8 from long range with rookie Payton Pritchard knocking one down from behind the arc.
Durant went 2-for-5 from the field in the opening frame, scoring a team-high six points for the Nets. Irving made just one of his four shots to close the quarter with just three points.
TAKING A LEAD
Tatum helped Boston put together a strong second quarter as the Celtics erased their deficit and took a five-point lead three different times. Boston closed the quarter with a 54-51 advantage.
Tatum and Irving came alive in the quarter. The Celtics star scored all 12 of his first-half points in the second, with the Nets guard compiling 14 of his 17 first-half points in the frame. Tatum nearly tallied a first-half double-double with nine rebounds to go along with his scoring output.
Boston received additional contributions from Brown, who scored a team-high 13 points. Semi Ojeleye (eight points), Smart (six points, one steal) and Pritchard (five points, two steals) also provided a lift on both ends.
BROOKLYN STARS TAKE OVER
Durant took the game over at the onset of the third quarter while Irving added a nice complement as the Nets took a 86-77 lead into the fourth quarter.
Durant and Irving combine to score 25 points in the third quarter while the Celtics team tallied 23. Durant hit his first four shots of the second half, doubling his previous nine-point total on his way to 16 third-quarter points. Brooklyn led by as many as 12 points in the period after an extending 20-9 run over the first eight minutes.
Boston was dealt some frustrating misses, including a string of three straight missed layups just before Brooklyn took a 12-point lead on the other end.
Tatum scored six points in the third quarter.
NETS PUT IT AWAY
The Celtics ran out of gas down the stretch, struggling to score without players like Brown, Tatum and Smart on the floor as Brooklyn outscored Boston by 19 points in the fourth quarter.
Irving scored 11 points in the final quarter as the Nets led by 14 points or more throughout the final six minutes. Boston trailed by three or more possessions throughout the final 11 minutes of the contest.
UP NEXT
The 1-1 Celtics will travel to Indiana for two consecutive games against the Pacers starting Sunday.
