The Celtics kicked off their six-game road trip on a positive note Sunday night, knocking off the Brooklyn Nets 103-92 at Barclays Center in an ugly offensive showing for both ides.
Boston flirted with a season-low for points in the matchup as poor shooting from inside the arc along with a slow-paced game with plenty of turnovers led to a defensive slog for much of the second half.
Jaylen Brown led the way for the Celtics with his second straight double-double, scoring 20 of his 34 points in the first quarter to go with 10 rebounds and four blocks. Jayson Tatum shook off a slow start to add a double-double himself (29 points, 11 rebounds) although he had a season-high nine turnovers. Malcolm Brogdon had 13 points and six assists off the bench as he took on a bigger role with Marcus Smart (hip) sidelined for the contest.
Kevin Durant had a team-high 31 points for the hosts. His scoring helped to trim Boston’s once double-digit lead down to two points midway through the fourth quarter. However, the Celtics responded with a 12-3 run to reassert control midway through the frame and rolled late to the comfortable win with some big baskets from Brown and Tatum to put it away.
The Celtics will go for their second straight win on the road Monday night against the Toronto Raptors.
Here are four takeaways from Sunday’s matchup:
Jaylen Brown caught fire in the first quarter: Coming off his best performance of the season Friday night against the Heat, Brown picked up where he left off against an overmatched Nets defense. The 25-year-old looked like he was playing with perhaps a little extra fuel coming off a summer full of Nets trade rumors as he shot the lights out in the opening frame scoring 20 points in the period on 6-of-7 shooting from the field and 5-of-5 from 3-point range. With an array of pull up 3s and catch-and-shoot attempts, Brown found a way to do damage whether he was handling the ball or serving as an outlet to teammates. He also played a clean quarter overall with zero turnovers, a pair of rebounds and a block, helping the Celtics turn an early 11-2 deficit into an eight-point lead by the end of the quarter.
Celtics stumble in third quarter offensively: The Nets were one of the worst defensive teams in the league for the last few years under Steve Nash but new head coach Jacque Vaughn has them playing with better urgency over the past month. That improved effort was on display in the third quarter as the Celtics had one of their worst offensive quarters of the year. Brown cooled off after his red hot first quarter, missing six of his first seven shots in the frame and Boston misfired on 11 of their opening 13 attempts while turning the ball over five times as they managed to core just seven points in the first nine-plus minutes of the frame. Given how well the Celtics’ offense has looked this year, they are probably due for a few of these droughts but it was surprising it came against a defense like Brooklyn. Overall, Boston finished with 13 points in the period.
Defense stands strong against Nets firepower: With the Celtics offense reeling for one of the first times all year, they ramped up the effort on the defensive end which helped them stay in front for the majority of the contests. Brooklyn shot just 41 percent from the field and 33 percent from 3 over the first three quarters and the Celtics piled up seven blocks in that time frame including several impressive hustle contests in transition that took away potential easy baskets. While Boston’s offense may fall back down to earth in the coming weeks, this was one example that there is plenty of promising potential still on the defensive end of the floor for Boston. The Celtics also grabbed 10 steals, which was their second-highest total in a game this season.
A rough night from the supporting cast: The Celtics have had some nice scoring balance all year long but a few of their more hesitant shooters showed some flaws in this matchup. Al Horford and Derrick White managed just six combined points while Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard went a combined 1-of-7 from beyond the arc off the bench. Brogdon and Grant Williams (10 points) provided some timely offense throughout the contest but the usual spots for supplemental scoring were dormant for much of this matchup.
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