Three Studs, Three Duds From Celtics Stars Setting Tone In Win Over Nets

The Boston Celtics had the best recipe to prevent themselves from losing back-to-back games for the first time this season on Wednesday night against the Brooklyn Nets.

The Celtics leaned on their two stars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, something the Nets couldn’t match.

The dynamic duo combined for 60 points as they set the tone for the Celtics, who ran away with a 139-114 win over the Nets at Barclays Center. It was Boston’s second win over Brooklyn in less than a week while the Celtics improved to 10-3 with their best scoring output of the season.

Here are three studs and three duds from the Celtics winning on the second night of a back-to-back:

STUDS
Jayson Tatum
Neither the Nets defense nor Tatum’s banged up ankle, which he tweaked late against the Hawks, got in the way of the five-time All-Star putting together a terrific performance. Tatum spearheaded Boston’s offensive attack as he poured in a game-high 36 points on 12-for-19 shooting. He also added 10 assists and nine rebounds to come up just shy of a triple-double.

Tatum did knock down 5-of-6 shots from beyond the arc in the game, but what was more impressive was his finishing around the rim. A few times Tatum eluded defenders or absorbed contact before converting an acrobatic layup.

Jaylen Brown
It wasn’t the most efficient showing from Brown, but he still played a part in leading the way for the Celtics with a steadying performance. Brown netted 24 points on 8-for-19 shooting and secured his second double-double of the season by grabbing 12 rebounds.

Brown’s ball-handling was at the center of Boston’s loss to the Hawks as he committed six turnovers. Brown was much improved in that department against the Nets as he wasn’t charged for a single turnover.

Payton Pritchard
Pritchard didn’t just provide his usual amount of 3-pointers. The fifth-year guard filled up the stat sheet in a big way. Pritchard drilled five shots from beyond the arc and finished with 23 points off the bench in 36 minutes. He also added eight assists, six rebounds, two steals and one block for good measure. It’s this type of performance that will make Pritchard a real contender in the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year race.

DUDS
First-quarter starts
Slow starts are a bad habit for the Celtics as of late and they came nowhere close to breaking that trend against the Nets. Boston allowed Brooklyn to dictate play with its energy from the opening tip and the Nets raced out to a 26-13 lead with 3:52 left in the first quarter. It was the third time in four games the Celtics trailed by double digits in the opening frame. The Celtics have more than enough firepower to erase those deficits, but they really shouldn’t be falling into that type of hole so early and so often.

Derrick White
It was an uncharacteristic night for White. The standout guard committed three turnovers in the first quarter and he also got into early foul trouble by picking up three fouls in five minutes. The foul trouble caused Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla to put White on the bench for the rest of the half, making him a complete non-factor as Boston battled back. White, who finished with just nine points on 3-for-11 shooting, did have a highlight-reel block on a Ziaire Williams dunk attempt in the third quarter, but it didn’t wash away his poor first half.

Nets fourth quarter
The pesky Nets stuck with the Celtics for most of three quarters, but unlike last week, Brooklyn couldn’t hang in the final frame. Boston showed it could reach another level the Nets couldn’t get to by outscoring Brooklyn, 36-25, in the fourth quarter. The poor showing from the Nets in the stanza in front of their home crowd prevented them from perhaps stealing a win away from the Celtics.