Payton Pritchard came off the bench to score 28 points and Derrick White finished with 27 to help the Boston Celtics defeat the visiting Brooklyn Nets 136-86 Wednesday in each team’s final contest before the All-Star break.
Pritchard made 11 of his 16 shots from the field, including 6 of 9 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc. White was 10 of 16 from the field, 5 of 10 on 3-point attempts. Boston shot 57.8 percent from the field and connected on 22 of its 44 long-range shots.
Jayson Tatum collected 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for the Celtics, who rested their starters for most of the second half while sealing their sixth win in a row.
The Celtics also received 15 points and five rebounds from Kristaps Porzingis, who limped off the court late in the first half and didn’t return to the game.
The Celtics had a 101-55 lead after three quarters and stretched the advantage to 56 points in the fourth. It was Boston’s second victory over Brooklyn in as many nights. The Celtics earned a 118-110 win over the Nets in New York on Tuesday.
Trendon Watford scored a team-high 15 points for the Nets, who shot 38.3 percent from the floor. Brooklyn, which lost for the fifth time in six games, received a 10-point performance from Mikal Bridges.
Brooklyn held out Ben Simmons in the second game of a back-to-back set. The Celtics played without Jaylen Brown (shoulder) and Al Horford (toe).
The Celtics led 30-15 after one quarter and 68-32 at halftime. Brooklyn trailed 30-17 early in the second, but Boston scored the next 22 points and led 52-17 after Tatum made a 3-pointer with 4:39 remaining in the half. The 36-point halftime lead was Boston’s largest since 2010.
Boston shot 59.1 percent (26 of 44) from the field in the first half, when it made 11 of its 22 3-point attempts. The Nets shot 30.2 percent (13 of 43) in the half.
Brooklyn’s Cameron Johnson returned to action after missing four games with a left adductor strain. Johnston scored four points in 18 minutes.
The Celtics completed a four-game season sweep of the Nets.
–Field Level Media