NEW YORK — Joe Mazzulla has referenced the Celtics’ horrible loss to the Nets final March – once they blew a 28-point lead – a number of occasions this season. It offered a few of his greatest classes as a first-year head coach. It made him research momentum, amongst different issues, to ensure one thing like that by no means occurred once more.
Facing the Nets for the primary time since that disastrous loss on Saturday evening, the Celtics had been reminded why their opponent was so powerful that evening in March.
These Nets, whereas a lot much less proficient than the Celtics, are powerful. They had been taking part in the second evening of a back-to-back. They had been lacking key gamers, together with Ben Simmons. That didn’t cease them from hanging powerful for a lot of the evening at Barclays Center, the place they erased a number of deficits.
But these Celtics, with a number of new items, are a distinct group.
Despite Cam Thomas and the Nets’ finest shot, the Celtics had been an excessive amount of to deal with. So far, they’re not letting historical past from final season repeat itself. Jayson Tatum scored 32 factors, together with his 10,000th profession level, and the Celtics pulled away late for a 124-114 victory over the Nets with a Boston-heavy crowd cheering them on in Brooklyn.
Jaylen Brown had 22 factors and Jrue Holiday added 18 factors with 10 assists because the Celtics – who had been with out Derrick White – improved to 5-0 and remained the one undefeated group within the NBA.
The Celtics held a commanding halftime lead and let it slip however by no means finally gave it away. They led by a possession to start out the fourth quarter earlier than pulling away halfway via the interval, with the bench unit and several other starters making key performs down the stretch. Holiday hit a 3-pointer with 6:31 left earlier than Tatum drilled a devastating step-back 3-pointer to place the Celtics up double digits. Boston was by no means threatened once more as they made all of the performs late to carry on.
Other takeaways:
– Tatum made one in every of his strongest strikes of the season to earn his 10,000th profession level, which was becoming because it displayed simply how a lot of an elite scorer he’s change into. With 5 minutes left within the second quarter, Jaylen Brown gained a leap ball that was corralled by Jrue Holiday, who handed to Tatum on the prime of the important thing. With his again towards Cam Thomas, Tatum blew by the smaller guard earlier than making a spin transfer on the rim and ending an and-one along with his proper hand.
As he stepped to the free throw line, the Celtics followers at Barclays Center began showering Tatum with MVP chants. He sunk the free throw to present himself 10,000 profession factors, then earned even louder MVP chants when he stepped to the road once more later within the quarter.
At 25 years, 246 days outdated, Tatum turned the Tenth-youngest participant in NBA historical past to attain 10,000 factors. He additionally turned the primary in league historical past to attain 10,000 factors with 1,000 3-pointers.
– After having bother with the Nets for a lot of the first half, they lastly created some respiratory room with a powerful finish to the primary half that included an 8-0 run over the ultimate 1:10 – capped by Tatum’s 3-pointer on the buzzer – which gave them a 12-point halftime lead. They scored not less than 70 first-half factors for a 3rd consecutive recreation, they usually’re now averaging 74 factors within the first half over that stretch.
But the Celtics practically gave all of it again to start out the second half because the Nets went on a 12-2 run to open the third, which arrange an in depth end earlier than Tatum and the Celtics pulled away.
– The Celtics, for a 3rd consecutive recreation, began scorching offensively as they started 9-for-15 from the sphere – together with eight factors from Tatum within the opening 2:45 – as they constructed a nine-point lead. But they cooled off, and the Nets outplayed the Celtics bench models to take a five-point lead within the second quarter.
– Luke Kornet, although he’s slotted as the first backup large behind Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, hasn’t gotten a lot time within the rotation to start out the season however had a powerful surge within the second quarter to assist the Celtics regain their footing after they fell behind by 5. Horford discovered Kornet beneath for a simple bucket, then Kornet compelled a miss from Cam Thomas earlier than operating the ground exhausting in transition the place Jrue Holiday discovered him on the rim for an additional layup to cap Kornet’s private 4-0 run. Kornet additionally made a key three-point play within the fourth quarter that helped the Celtics maintain off the Nets.
– The Celtics continued to crash the offensive glass with success as they scored 14 second-chance factors within the first half off six offensive rebounds. Horford gave them an early spark with two putbacks. The Celtics completed with 19 second-chance factors.
Source: www.bostonherald.com