During Wednesday night’s NBA slate, Jayson Tatum scored 31 points and added nine rebounds as the Boston Celtics defeated the Brooklyn Nets 139-96.
In a game the Celtics never trailed and led by 49 points, both of Boston’s stars made seven 3-pointers. On the way to its largest victory this season, Boston shot 60 percent through three quarters.
“You can tell we were ready to go from the jump,” Tatum said.
This was Tatum and Brown’s eighth game this season in which both players scored 25 points. In his return from a sprained ankle, Robert Williams finished with 16 points and nine rebounds. In addition, Derrick White scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
“They’re hungry,” Williams said of Tatum and Brown. “They’re still (upset) about last year.”
This season, the Celtics have won all three meetings against the Nets. At the beginning of the night, Tatum was averaging 37.5 minutes per game, placing second in the NBA. The fourth quarter was primarily played while he sat. He played just over 29 minutes on Wednesday.
“I feel great,” Tatum said. “My body feels so much better at this time than it did last season.”
NBA SCORES & NEWS: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics & Brooklyn Nets Updates
The Nets shot 41 percent, including 9 of 39 from behind the arc, during the game, as Kyrie Irving scored 20 points. Cam Thomas added 19 points. Since Kevin Durant injured his right knee on Jan. 8, the Nets have fallen to 4-7.
“It’s clear as day that they want to win the championship, and they’re not wasting any time in the regular season,” Irving said. “Tonight I felt like we were just one of those teams in the way, and you know, we just can’t be one of those teams in the way. We’ve got to be one of those teams that stands up to them.”
Both Ben Simmons and T.J. Warren sat out for the third straight game due to injuries. Boston raced to a 33-7 advantage with the Nets starting just 2 of 14 from the field while the Celtics had their entire rotation available except for Marcus Smart, sidelined for the fifth consecutive game due to a sprained right ankle.
NBA SCORES & NEWS: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics & Brooklyn Nets Updates
Boston’s fans booed whenever Irving touched the basketball, mirroring their treatment of him at TD Garden on his last two visits. Irving missed four of his five first shots during the first half.
After finishing the first quarter with 18 points, Tatum outscored the Nets by himself as Boston took a 46-16 lead into the second quarter, marking the first time the team outscored its opponent by 30 points. At halftime, the Celtics led 79-45.
“This was a night where they hit first, they hit hard and it hurt,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said.
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