Celtics Dominate Nets with 28-Point Lead
The Boston Celtics took on the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night and came away with a dominant victory, winning by a score of 123-95. The Celtics were led by their star point guard, Marcus Smart, who had a game-high 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Nets, on the other hand, were without their superstar trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving, who were all out with injuries.
The Celtics got off to a hot start in the first quarter, taking a commanding 28-point lead after just 12 minutes of play. They shot an impressive 60% from the field in the quarter and held the Nets to just 21% shooting. The Nets struggled to find any rhythm without their star players, and the Celtics took full advantage, pushing the pace and scoring at will.
In the second quarter, the Celtics continued to build on their lead, with Marcus Smart hitting a pair of three-pointers to extend the advantage to 30 points. The Nets showed signs of life towards the end of the quarter, but the Celtics still led by 25 points at halftime.
The Nets came out with more energy in the third quarter, with DeAndre Jordan throwing down a monster dunk and Landry Shamet hitting a pair of three-pointers to cut the deficit to 16 points. However, the Celtics responded with a 9-0 run to extend their lead once again. The Celtics continued to dominate in the fourth quarter, with their bench players getting in on the action and contributing to the blowout victory.
Overall, it was a dominant performance by the Celtics, who showed that they are capable of playing at a high level even without their own injured star player, Jayson Tatum. The Celtics shot an impressive 53% from the field and 44% from three-point range, while holding the Nets to just 38% shooting.
While the Nets were missing their top players, the Celtics showed that they have the depth and talent to compete with any team in the league. Marcus Smart had a standout performance, but the Celtics also got contributions from Jaylen Brown (21 points, 8 rebounds) and Al Horford (15 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists).
The win improves the Celtics' record to 31-26 on the season, while the Nets fall to 36-21. With the playoffs just around the corner, the Celtics will be looking to build on this impressive performance and make a deep run in the postseason.