BSJ Game Report: Celtics 115, Nets 113 - Celtics survive thanks to Porzingis' return

Everything you need to know about the Celtics' win over the Nets, with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

Jayson Tatum sliced through the Nets' defense for 11 points and a three-point lead after one. The Celtics went on a big run to push the lead to 21, but the Nets answered and cut it to 12 at halftime. Brooklyn cut the lead to five by shooting 57% in the third to Boston’s 39%, but Kristaps Porzingis and Payton Pritchard teamed up to hold Brooklyn off in the fourth.

Box Score

HEADLINES

- Porzingis returns: He played the whole fourth quarter, which I did not expect. I thought he might get 15-20 minutes at most, but Joe Mazzulla rolled with him. 

“I thought it was gonna play like 20 minutes,” Porzingis said afterward. “But Joe told me, like, mid-fourth. He was like, 'I'm not gonna take you out. So, just bite down and let's go.' I said, ‘Okay, let's go.’ Got some sugar in my system, and just pushed through.”

- Just holding on: I’ve said it a bunch, but this Miami-to-New York back-to-back is brutal, so I never expected them to run away with this game. Going up 21 almost made it worse because when you relax in a situation like this, it’s very difficult to get the energy back, especially without Derrick White, Al Horford, and, in the second half, Jaylen Brown. There's plenty to hate about how this game went, but nothing I care to harp on. I’m just happy to take the win. 

- Pritchard makes history: He hit his 220th 3-pointer of the season, setting a record for 3s off the bench. 

One of my favorite things to do is go back and look at Larry Bird's 3-point stats at a time like this because he should have taken a ton of them but the game was different back then.

The most 3s Bird ever TOOK was 237. Pritchard could make more than that within the next week or two.

TURNING POINT 

The Celtics went on an 11-3 run early in the fourth to take a 10-point lead. They maintained that until a little more than two minutes left in the game, which was just enough to escape with the win. 

THINGS I LIKED

- Porzingis storms back: 24 points on 9-16 shooting in 31:37 minutes of play. Mazzulla said after the game that 32 minutes was the limit, which is surprising, but it doesn’t really matter. He’s coming off an illness, not an injury, so there's no fear of reaggravating anything. And with two days off before and after their upcoming game on Tuesday, there's plenty of time to recover. 

- Payton Pritchard’s shooting: He was 5-8 overall from 3 on his record-setting night, 2-3 in the fourth quarter. He hit some big shots. 

“Anytime you hold a record in NBA, regardless of whatever it is, is special,” Tatum said. “I'm happy for him. He works really, really hard. Everybody knows that. And his ability to stretch the floor and kind of take over in stretches sometimes has really helped us … we're very, very lucky to have him.”

- Luke Kornet: Brian Scalabrine couldn't stop gushing about Kornet during this game. Kornet has had an incredible season for himself, and games like this show his value. It wasn’t just 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench, it was five offensive rebounds, rim protection, great screening, and great court awareness. He’s the epitome of being a star in your role. 

- Tatum’s first half: He dominated the Nets as the Celtics built a 21-point lead. We writers like to use flowery terms like slicing and carving through the defense, but I can’t think of another way to describe what Tatum did in the first half. The second half was sleepy time for Tatum. 

- Jrue Holiday’s passing: He finished the game with 12 assists, and he ran the offense for most of the fourth quarter. 

“The Jrue/KP pick-and-roll down the stretch for most of the fourth quarter was really impactful for us,” Mazzulla said. “He can do so many different things. He's hitting timely corner threes for us, timely offensive rebounds … and then his ability to playmake in the pick-and-roll. Just another guy that can give us a lot of stuff.”

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- Ending quarters: The Nets closed the second quarter on a 17-8 run, the third on a 10-3 run, and the fourth on a 12-3 run. That can’t keep happening. 

- Offensive rebounds: The Celtics allowed 18 offensive rebounds, TEN of them to Day’Ron Sharpe. They lost the second chance point battle 17-9, which could have been worse. Nothing tells me a team is tired or dogging it quite like giving up a ton of offensive rebounds. 

- Neemias Queta: I looked back at the fourth quarter against Miami and decided I was too hard on him after the game, but not by a lot. He made some really good defensive plays to help the Celtics, but he still wasn’t great. There will be no such review of his minutes from this game. He was awful and there's no questioning it. 

- Losing Jaylen Brown: There's no update from the Celtics other than he had back spasms. I will note that he played 24 minutes, so this game qualifies for his 65-game minimum. 

HIGHLIGHTS

ONE TAKE WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Rest is coming at the right time. Use it.

The Celtics have survived a very tough part of their schedule. When I broke down their remaining schedule about a month ago, I called a 5-2 homestand and this tough back-to-back. So kudos to Boston for coming through on the expectations. 

Now comes the reprieve I mentioned with one game in five days. I hate to beat a dead horse, but the playoffs are around the corner. And while I know there is a natural week off between the end of the season and the first round, they should still take advantage of opportunities like this. This is a great chance to allow guys to miss just one game but get five real days off. I’m looking squarely at Jayson Tatum here, who keeps talking his way into the lineup. 

Like I said, he played a good first half but he skated through the second. Give him this one day off at home and then move on. Same with Jaylen Brown. I think the rest of the Celtics can handle things. 

Next up: The Celtics return home for a rematch with Brooklyn on Tuesday night.