Final: Nets 110, Celtics 96 -- Another third quarter collapse

The Celtics showed some fight for a half without Kyrie Irving (back) and Al Horford (knee) but things got away from them quickly in the third quarter as D'Angelo Russell erupted for 20 of his 29 points, which helped the Nets pull away for a 110-96 win. Russell finished with a double-double (29 points, 10 assists) to lead five different Nets in double figures as Brooklyn dominated Boston with a 61-48 second half thanks to a woeful performance by the majority of the Celtics starting five.

Gordon Hayward led the visitors with 19 points off the bench but Boston only had three players in double figures as Terry Rozier (two points) and Marcus Smart (nine points) struggled for most of the night. The loss pushes Boston back into the fifth seed with five games remaining.

First Half Notes

• Celtics show some nice ball movement out of the gate, jumping out with a quick 9-2 run.


• Nets put the clamps on that early though with a 2-3 zone, which lulled C’s starters into poor shot selection from midrange and pull ups from 3.


• C’s got a scare after Baynes took a hard hit on his knee following a charge but he returned to the game later in the quarter after coming up limping.


• Game changed midway through the quarter when the bench unit of Wanamaker/Brown/Ojeleye/Hayward and Baynes got a lengthy stint.


• That grouping was very solid on the defensive end, contesting the Nets well in the paint and on the perimeter.


• Wanamaker also got the ball moving a lot more on the offensive end, dishing out two assists and setting up Brown and Hayward for good looks.


• He was selective aggressive himself putting up a team-high eight points in the first half and topping the team with a plus-8


• Encouraging minutes from the bench backcourt of Williams and Theis as well. Williams was active on the glass with four rebounds and two blocks in his six minutes while Theis shooting touch was back (six points). Neither looked like a liability on D.


• The problem in this game has mostly comes with the starters (Morris/Rozier/Tatum) in the game as the offensive flow has waned with that group in there together. C


• Nets have had a rough time shooting from 3 but they C’s allowed Harris and Carroll get hot at the end of the quarter with the starters.

• The Celtics will be giving their veterans a day of rest on the second half of a back-to-back, with Kyrie Irving (back) and Al Horford (knee) getting the night off. Jayson Tatum is also questionable due to illness and he will only play in shorter stints if he does end up suiting up.


• This is the fourth and final matchup between the two squads. The Celtics lead the season series 2-1.


• Allen Crabbe will miss tonight's game with a sore knee for the Nets.


• Brooklyn is currently fighting for their playoff lives with a game lead over the Magic with just six games to play. With just six games remaining on their schedule and all of them coming against playoff teams, this will be a crucial matchup for them to get a needed win against an undermanned Celtics squad.