Nets Vs Celtics: nets vs celtics — Celtics defeat Nets, post one of NBA's best offensive performances
The nets vs celtics matchup ended with Boston overwhelming Brooklyn 148-111 on Friday night, a game that featured season-high shooting and big contributions from Jaylen Brown and Nikola Vucevic. The Celtics shot 66. 7% (52-of-78) from the field and connected on 22 3-pointers as Boston improved to 39-20.
Historic shooting and efficiency
Boston’s 66. 7% shooting (52-of-78) in the 148-111 win was a season high. Including the playoffs, it stood as the club’s third-highest percentage in a game in the shot clock era (since 1954-55), behind 67. 9% in 1984 and 67. 0% in 1990. The Celtics also shot 64. 7% from the 3-point line, which equated to an 80. 8% effective field goal percentage, the highest in the shot clock era. Effective field goal percentage measures shooting efficiency by adjusting for the fact that 3-pointers are worth more than two-point shots.
Brown and Vucevic lead
All-Star Jaylen Brown led Boston with 28 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, and he added two steals. Nikola Vucevic matched Brown with 28 points and finished with 11 rebounds for his third double-double since joining the Celtics; it was his most productive game in a green and white uniform so far. Vucevic came off the bench and was 9-of-13 from the field, 3-of-3 from 3-point range and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line, and he also recorded four assists and a block.
Bench, plus-minus and depth
Payton Pritchard added 22 points off the bench and was an astounding +40 in the game. Boston’s reserves combined for 77 points, and all 13 Celtics players scored. The depth helped the Celtics build and sustain a blowout margin late in the game.
Third-quarter surge and turnovers
Boston took control in the third quarter, outscoring Brooklyn 43-26. The Nets managed only seven points over the final 6: 23 of the period. In that quarter the Celtics were 15-of-19 from the field with 12 assists and hit 5-of-7 attempts from long range. The Celtics’ lead grew to as many as 41 points in the fourth quarter.
There are two turnover marks recorded: one account notes Boston committed only three turnovers after halftime; another record lists four turnovers in the second half. Earlier in the game the Nets were able to stay close partly because eight Boston turnovers were converted into 12 Brooklyn points.
Halftime line and Nets response
Despite the late shooting barrage, Boston led just 66-57 at halftime. At that point the Celtics had shot 62% from the field (24 of 39) and 60% from 3-point range (12 of 20). For Brooklyn, Michael Porter Jr. finished with 18 points as the Nets extended a losing stretch to seven straight games.
Nets Vs Celtics: Tatum watch
The team will wait to see whether Sunday night’s home matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers will mark the return of Jayson Tatum. The game, originally scheduled earlier in the day, was moved into an 8 p. m. ET prime-time slot, a change that generated speculation about Tatum’s status. It has been 41 weeks since Tatum ruptured his right Achilles tendon in May in the waning minutes of the Celtics’ loss to the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.
The Celtics are required by the NBA to release an initial injury report by 5 p. m. ET on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s home game against the 76ers. After practicing with the Celtics’ G League team two weeks ago, Tatum said he had not decided whether he would return: "It doesn't mean that I'm coming back or I'm not, it's just following the plan. So it's just another step, " he said. "I don't know percentage. I just know I feel a little bit better every day. I just try to focus on that. " He also said he was mindful of not wanting to disrupt the progress of a Celtics team that at 39-20 sits in second place in the Eastern Conference standings: "I'm just hyper aware of what's going on. I think it would just stem from that. Obviously, I know what I bring to the table and bring to the team. But I'm also aware that these guys have been playing extremely well. "
After the win the Celtics’ coach, Joe Mazzulla, praised the team’s reads and Vucevic’s comfort in Boston’s offense: "I thought we just did a good job reading the game. I thought we made the right reads throughout most of the entire game. I thought tonight Vooch really looked comfortable in his offensive reads and his offensive screening. He unlocked a lot of stuff for us. " Brown added, "We just try to read the game and take what's there. "
One photograph caption in coverage notes Feb. 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA, showing Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic reacting against the Phoenix Suns in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center, with mandatory credit to Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images. Colin Keane is identified in one account as a contributing journalist; he graduated from Villanova University with a major degree in English and a minor degree in Business and covers the NBA, MLB, the NFL and college basketball.
Boston has won five of six games since returning from the All-Star break and improved to 39-20 on the season, including a 19-9 record at home. The Celtics will host the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night as Tatum’s status remains unresolved.
