Boston played without Derrick White and Al Horford in this back-to-back road game vs. the Nets. The good news was that Kristaps Porzingis played well after returning to the starting lineup after missing eight consecutive games (illness).
The Celtics looked great in the first quarter, with Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis leading the charge. Tatum aggressively got to the basket, while Porzingis looked like he hadn’t missed a beat.
Boston repeated the good play in the second quarter, going on a 20-5 run. Coming off the bench, Payton Pritchard added a lot of energy by hitting a couple of threes. The Celtics defense also looked excellent, coming up with steals and loose balls. They led 63-51 at the break.
The Nets picked up the slack in the third quarter by knocking down three-pointers. Keon Johnson had 19 points with five threes. Jaylen Brown went to the locker room with a back injury and did not return to the game. However, Boston maintained an 86-81 lead in the fourth quarter.
Porzingis owned the fourth quarter, scoring 14 of his 24 points while playing all 12 minutes. Pritchard, who hit big-time free throws at the end of the game, broke the record of 218 three-pointers made off the bench in a single season.
The Nets played tremendous defense down the stretch and had a chance to win with two seconds left, but couldn’t get off a shot. Meanwhile, the Celtics notched their 49th win of the season as Porzingis, Pritchard, and Tatum combined for 66 points. Jrue Holiday had a season-high 12 assists.
