BOSTON — Payton Pritchard scored 28 factors and the NBA-leading Boston Celtics routed Brooklyn 136-86 on Wednesday evening, giving Joe Mazzulla his a hundredth victory as head coach and handing the Nets the second-worst loss in franchise historical past.
Derrick White completed with 27 factors. Jayson Tatum added 20 factors, 9 assists and 7 rebounds for the Celtics, who beat the Nets on back-to-back nights and for the fourth time this season in each groups’ ultimate recreation earlier than the All-Star break.
Boston has received six straight and can enter the break with an NBA-best 43-12 document. The Celtics went 57-25 in Mazzulla’s first 12 months as coach final season. Wednesday marked the fifth 50-point win in crew historical past.
Mazzulla stated their success over the previous two seasons “is a testomony to the individuals you’ve got round you.”
“I inform the gamers, ‘I am unable to be who I’m if they do not let me,'” Mazzulla stated. “I am grateful for that.”
Porzingis thinks Mazzulla does not all the time get credit score, maybe as a result of it is simply his second season as a coach. However he thinks he ought to.
“He is very underrated as a coach. And totally different. I believe individuals actually do not see who he’s and the way he coaches,” Porzingis stated. “He deserves quite a lot of credit score.”
Porzingis left the sport within the first half with a sprained ankle and did not return. However he stated he was out there within the second half, however was held out with the sport in hand.
Trendon Watford had 15 factors for the Nets, who misplaced by a franchise-worst 52 factors at Houston on Oct. 18, 1978. It was their worst loss since shifting to Brooklyn in 2012.
The Nets enter the break losers 5 of their final six. They trailed by as many as 56 factors within the fourth quarter.
“It is an incredible reminder…that we now have work to do,” Brooklyn coach Jacque Vaughn stated. “Now we have to be OK doing the work. However I do imagine this crew can do the work. So use this as a reminder that we bought our tails kicked tonight and that after the break it will not be any simpler. However we now have to up for the problem.”
The Celtics performed with out All-Star Jaylen Brown (bruised proper shoulder) and Al Horford (sprained huge toe).
However they managed the sport all through, shortly leaping out to a double-digit lead and constructing a 37-point lead within the second quarter. It grew to 46 factors within the third. Boston’s starters sat the whole ultimate interval.
The Nets did see a participant return from harm for the second straight evening, this time getting again Cam Johnson following his four-game absence with a strained adductor muscle. He got here off the bench, coming into for the primary time late within the first quarter. He performed 18 minutes and completed with 4 factors on 1-of-5 taking pictures.
Johnson’s presence wasn’t practically sufficient to decelerate a Boston crew that shot greater than 64% within the opening interval and linked on 22-of-44 3-pointers for the sport.
Boston’s 68-32 halftime lead was its largest since Jan. 13, 2010, when it had a 36-point edge over the New Jersey Nets. Brooklyn’s 34 factors Wednesday marked a season-low within the first half.
UP NEXT
Nets: At Raptors on Feb. 22.
Celtics: At Bulls on Feb 22.
