Kristaps Porziņģis returns to action, leads Celtics to 115-113 victory over Nets

The Boston Celtics visited the Barclays Center to play the Brooklyn Nets Saturday night, highlighted by the return of big man Kristaps Porziņģis after a lengthy eight-game absence. Jaylen Brown also returned to action after missing last night’s game vs. Miami. Boston would prevail against the pesky young Brooklyn Nets 115-113 in a fast-paced game that came close late in the fourth quarter.

The Celtics started the game with Porziņģis as the lone big; Sam Hauser would also be given the starting nod as Derrick White was rested following another clutch shooting display in Florida. Jrue Holiday had a season-high 25 points last night in Miami and would have 4 quick points as both teams traded early buckets.

The Boston Celtics started the game shooting the three poorly at just 0/5 from distance. Jayson Tatum, would go to the mid-range to start the game as he was a perfect 2—2 from the field with a mid-range turnaround swish and high bank shot from the left-hand side low block. Tatum would then run a pick-and-pop with Kristaps as the Celtic forward drove and drew multiple defenders; he flashed a stellar no-look back pass to Sam Hauser, who would nail a corner triple. Boston would go up 15-11 early.

With Boston on the second night of a road back-to-back, Coach Joe Mazzulla would go slightly deeper into his bench unit as rookie Baylor Scheierman would see early first-quarter minutes alongside Luke Kornet and Payton Pritchard.

The athletic young Nets would stick in the game as Maxwell Lewis hit his first 3 shots off the bench to score eight straight points for the home team. Then Jalen Wilson’s second three-pointer of the game saw the young Nets take the lead 27-26 with one and a half minutes to go in the first quarter. Sam Hauser and Jayson Tatum would play the entire first quarter in Brooklyn as the road C’s would end the quarter up 30-27.

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Jaylen Brown would start the second quarter strong with a block on Maxwell Lewis down one end and then a strong drive and kick to Portuguese big Neemias Queta for the loud two-handed flush. Payton Pritchard hit on his second three-pointer of the night, then Brown added his first as Boston would go 5-13 early from deep.

Boston resumed the double big play in the second quarter with Kornet and Porziņģis matching up against the smaller Nets frontcourt. Jrue Holiday seized on the size disparity finding Luke Kornet with a bounce pass on the interior as the big man flushed home a dunk and was fouled, Boston up 43-32.

Payton Pritchard would hit on his third triple to tie the NBA record for made three-pointers by a bench player in the second quarter as the Celtics were rolling with an eighteen point lead with Jayson Tatum on the bench. The record was formerly held by Wayne Ellington.

The Boston Celtics would go 18-21 on two-point made baskets as they were clicking against the hometown Brooklyn side. Jayson Tatum would lead the Celtics in the mid-range and in the paint as he would lead the team with 6-7 two-pointers. Brooklyn would make things interesting to end the half, fueled by a 12-2 run, spearheaded by Keon Johnson. Jayson Tatum would find Luke Kornet on the final play of the half, as Luke registered his eighth point; Boston would lead 63-51 at the break.

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Brooklyn opened the second half scoring 7 straight points to cut Boston’s lead to just 5 points. Kristaps Porziņģis would score 5 straight points of his own, before Tatum and Holiday rattled in a pair of three-pointers to see Boston go back up by double digits.

Sam Hauser would step up for Boston in the third, as Hauser hit on a pair of threes and a finger roll layup for 8 third quarter points. The Celtics were passing the ball extremely well as the C’s had registered 22 assists by the end of the third quarter. The visiting Celtics, who jetted into Brooklyn at 3am, would take an 86-81 lead into the final quarter as Brooklyn did enough to make things interesting.

Joe Mazulla would trot out a strange double big lineup to start the fourth quarter as Neemias and Kristaps would be paired with Baylor, Jrue, and Payton. Needless to say, the scoring dried up during this stretch; Holiday would eventually drive down the lane and throw a high lob to Queta for the alley-oop flush. Day’Ron Sharpe would prove to be a handle on the offensive glass, as he logged his fifth offensive board, he kicked out to Cam Johnson for a triple as Brooklyn cut the Boston lead to 2 points.

Kristaps Porziņģis’ first three of the game came at the seven-minute mark of the fourth, his 22nd point on the night, and stretched Boston’s lead to 7. Jaylen Brown, who exited the game in the third, was ruled to have lower back spasms and did not return to the game. Jayson Tatum returned to the game at the sixth-minute mark, and the ball found its way to Payton Pritchard for his record-breaking 219th three-pointer of the season.

With Luke Kornet collecting his fifth offensive board of the game, the ball volleyed out beyond the three-point arc, Kristaps drove and launched into the air, and provided a poster dunk over Sharpe, his 24th point of the game. Pritchard kept the threes rolling late in the fourth with his fifth of the night from deep left, as Boston stretched the lead back out to 9 points. Brooklyn would hit a bevy of tough baskets to cut the lead to 2 points with under 18 seconds to play. Pritchard iced a three free throws to secure the win.

Porziņģis’ would lead the Celtics with 24 points in a great return to action, Tatum had 20 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, with Pritchard breaking records and logging 22 points. Boston will next face off against these young Brooklyn Nets once more Tuesday at TD Garden.