The Boston Celtics improved their winning streak to five games Thursday night, securing a 109-98 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center.
The Celtics improved their NBA-best record to 31-12 while the Nets dropped to 27-14.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
On the second night of a back-to-back, the Celtics entered their win over the Nets following a similar script to that of their win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.
The Celtics were without a pair of starters in Jaylen Brown and Al Horford, facing an undermanned Nets squad that will be without Kevin Durant for the next several weeks. On Wednesday, it was Robert Williams III and Marcus Smart out for Boston and Zion Williamson out for New Orleans.
Once the game started, however, it became clear the Celtics weren’t playing in a glorified one-on-one game. This was a slog between two of the best teams in the NBA.
The difference for the Celtics? They were playing 5-on-4 on the defensive end, as Ben Simmons refused to shoot the ball after missing his first two attempts. The 26-year-old played a tremendous game defensively and as a facilitator, but didn’t need to be guarded when off the ball offensively. That opened up the ability to switch for Boston defenders.
On offense, the Celtics got tremendous contributions from nearly every player who hit the court. It’s been the Brown and Jayson Tatum show for the majority of this season for Boston, but Thursday was a night for everyone to shine.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Marcus Smart was tremendous in his return from a knee bruise. The veteran guard finished with 16 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and two steals.
— Derrick White was superb filling in for Brown in the starting lineup, finishing with 15 points and seven rebounds. He also added another block to his league-leading total of 44 among guards.
— Malcolm Brogdon finished off the guard trifecta, scoring 16 points off the bench. He also grabbed five rebounds.
WAGER WATCH
Simmons nearly surpassed the 23.5 total point, rebound and assist number set by DraftKings Sportsbook pregame, but failed to score a single point. With -110 odds of eclipsing that number, Simmons’ 13 assist, nine rebound night failed to help bettors turn $100 wagers into a net total of $190.91.
UP NEXT
The Celtics will head down south to face the Charlotte Hornets next, kicking off a two-game set from Spectrum Center over the weekend. Tipoff for the first game is 7 p.m. ET on Saturday.
