Everything you need to know about the Nets' 123-95 win over the Celtics with BSJ insight and analysis
Box Score
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving's second-half takeover: The Celtics brass dreamed about building around this duo for the long haul earlier this decade and we saw why on Christmas. Irving (37 points) and Durant (29 points) put on a show in the second half, erasing a three-point Celtics halftime edge by leading a 72-point second half for the visitors, setting the stage for a 123-95 blowout win. Jaylen Brown had a team-high 27 points for the hosts who overcame some ugly shooting in the first half thanks to offensive rebounding and gritty defense to hang in the game. However, the undermanned C’s were no match for Durant once he got going in the third quarter (16 points in the frame) alongside a red-hot Irving (7-of-10 from 3) while Boston’s offense sputtered to the finish line (only 41 second-half points). The stalled offense turned a close game into a runaway by midway through the fourth quarter.
The Celtics fall to 1-1 on the season with five of their next six matchups coming on the road.
Tatum but can’t get to the free-throw line: Boston’s offense was a mess beyond their top three players on Christmas, shooting 37 percent from the field and 29 percent from 3 as a team. Tatum added 20 points and 8 rebounds but went without a free throw for the second straight game as the C’s managed just 19 free throw attempts as a team. Tatum has now taken 50 field goal attempts without being fouled over the first two games of the year, something that contributed to Boston’s offense stalling out in the second half once their offensive rebounding and 3-point shooting went cold.
Aaron Nesmith makes his debut: The No. 14 overall pick didn’t see action until the closing minutes of the third quarter when he was thrown into the game to try to breathe some life into Boston’s lackluster offense. He airmailed the first 3-point shot of his career but did manage to get on the board in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter with a 3 to finish with three points over nine minutes. His fellow rookie teammate Payton Pritchard led Boston’s bench in minutes (25), posting 7 points and 3 turnovers in one of the few bright spots for Boston’s bench on the evening.
TURNING POINT
Durant caught fire in the third quarter after lying in the weeds during the first half within the Nets offense. The All-Star scored nine straight points in one stretch and scored 16 of Brooklyn’s 35 points in the third period, helping the visitors built a double-digit lead they never looked back from in the fourth quarter.
TWO UP
Semi Ojeleye in the first half: The fourth-year forward helped keep the Celtics offense afloat in the first half with eight points, including a pair of surprise trips to the free-throw line. He’s played some of the best basketball of his Celtic career in the past two games, which helped Boston to hang in against tough competition (before today's second half).
Jaylen Brown: The athletic wing was Boston’s most efficient scorer for the second straight game. He showed off a nice array of drives and good body control to score a team-high in points. Despite having an inferior supporting cast compared to last year, Brown is proving himself to be fully capable of handling No. 2 scorer duties.
TWO DOWN
Jeff Teague: After a red-hot opener, Teague came back down to earth against Brooklyn. He missed all five of his shots in the first half, including a wide-open layup and a dunk, going scoreless over 21 minutes of action.
Celtics shooting in the first quarter: Slow starts have plagued the C’s offensively for much of the last two seasons and that hasn’t changed in 2020. Boston opened the game knocking down just four of their first 16 shots and just 30.8 percent overall in the opening frame.
TOP PLAY
Tatum even hit him with the friendly butt slap after this. pic.twitter.com/NIumkuyIir
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) December 25, 2020
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
The Celtics don’t have the horses on this roster to run with the Nets even when Kemba Walker gets healthy: This comes as no surprise after last week’s preseason beatdown by Brooklyn but it was almost a carbon copy of that rout in the second half on Christmas. Brad Stevens got away with using Tristan Thompson on Kevin Durant for a half but that’s not a fair fight despite what Thompson brings to the table offensively. Once Durant decided to get involved in the third quarter, it was pretty much game over once he started to get hot with Irving having it going as well and Brooklyn’s bench having the edge over Boston’s second unit at pretty much every single position on the floor. The Celtics have a long time to figure things out in terms of what pieces on the roster are most needed to balance out the roster for matchups like this but there’s clearly not enough secondary offense in place here for the C’s to hang with the Nets firepower. The next two months really needs to be about figuring out how much guys like Aaron Nesmith can bring to the table since bench options like Ojeleye and Javonte Green aren’t going to cut it against this group in a seven-game series.
Jaylen Brown looks like a legitimate No. 2 option: This was one of the biggest question marks of the year for the C’s given the turnover in the starting five due to injuries and free agency. For the second straight game, Brown was up to the task offensively, showing off a nice array of drives amid increased usage that earned him a host of trips to the free-throw line (nine FTAs). He displayed some nice chemistry with Marcus Smart on half-court sets in the first half, showing improved instincts with the pass and cutting towards the hoop that helped keep the C’s offense afloat. This Celtic team is going to run into personnel issues when they face off with contenders this year at times but Brown does not look to be one of them. When it comes to a long-term view of the franchise, Brown’s growth trajectory remains on a strong track as a building block. The greater challenge for Brad Stevens and the front office is putting enough talent around him, especially on the offensive end of the floor.