Nets Vs Celtics: Celtics blow past the Nets, 148-111
The Boston Celtics routed the Brooklyn Nets 148-111 at TD Garden, a victory that punctuated a season-high offensive night for Boston in the Nets Vs Celtics matchup. The margin and efficiency matter: Boston shot 66. 7% for the game and converted 22 three-pointers, turning what had been a tense series into a decisive statement ahead of Sunday's schedule.
Nets Vs Celtics: Boston’s shooting barrage and team numbers
Boston finished the night with a season-high 66. 7% shooting and 22 made 3-pointers, with the bench contributing 77 points. The Celtics were 6-of-7 from three in the first quarter and 16-of-26 from beyond the arc in the middle of the third. At halftime the box showed Boston at 62% from the field (24 of 39) and 60% from three (12 of 20), yet the score was only 66-57. The third quarter turned one-way: the Celtics outscored Brooklyn 43-26, including a 27-7 run that produced a 109-83 margin at the end of the period. Brooklyn managed only seven points over the final 6: 23 of the quarter.
Jaylen Brown, Nikola Vucevic and Payton Pritchard stat lines
Jaylen Brown finished with 28 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, shooting 9-of-12 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from three. Payton Pritchard scored 22 points and was a plus-40 for the game. Nikola Vucevic’s numbers appear in multiple entries: he is credited at one point with 10 points and five rebounds off the bench in the first quarter, later listed with 24 points and 10 rebounds and a +25, and final tallies include a 25-point, 11-rebound line; another entry lists him with 28 points and 11 rebounds, marking a third double-double since joining the Celtics.
Starters and rotations at TD Garden
Boston started Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, Sam Hauser, Jaylen Brown and Neemias Queta; Jayson Tatum did not play. Brooklyn opened with Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Michael Porter Jr., Noah Clowney and Nic Claxton, with no one listed on the Nets’ injury report. Former Celtic Josh Minott checked into the game for Brooklyn in the first quarter, finishing with four points and a highlight-reel poster dunk on Hugo Gonzalez.
How turnovers and defense shaped the first half
Although entering the night Boston had the best defense over the previous 10 games, the Celtics struggled to find stops early and the Nets were productive in the paint, finishing with 32 points in the paint in the first half. Boston committed eight turnovers that Brooklyn converted into 12 points, which helped keep the Nets within striking distance; the Celtics cut that issue in the second half, committing only four turnovers after the break.
Sequence that decided the game and immediate implications
The game pivoted in the third quarter when Boston’s shooting and ball movement overwhelmed Brooklyn. Boston shot 15 of 19 with 12 assists in that quarter and hit 5 of 7 from deep, building the lead that ballooned to as many as 41 points in the fourth. The Celtics’ 148-111 final score left Brooklyn losers of seven straight games after entering TD Garden on a six-game skid. Michael Porter Jr. led Brooklyn with 18 points. The Nets will host Cleveland on Sunday; the Celtics will host the 76ers on Sunday.
What makes this notable is how the Celtics combined extraordinary efficiency—66. 7% shooting and 22 threes—with depth, producing 77 bench points and a dominant third quarter that erased any memory of the previous tight meetings between these clubs. The timing matters because this was Boston’s first home game back after a west-coast trip and a strong response after earlier, closer encounters in the season, including a previous meeting that went to double overtime.
