The Boston Celtics started their road tilt against the Brooklyn Nets down two starters in Jaylen Brown and Al Horford, giving the Nets a slight edge down Kevin Durant. It would not matter, however, the Celtics winning 109-98 on the strengths of what ended up being a real team effort for Boston.
The game was a close affair until the fourth quarter when the Celtics broke it open early in the frame, with Boston’s 48-32 rebounding edge one of the clear advantages of the game. Good nights from Jayson Tatum (20 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists despite a bad shooting night), Marcus Smart (16 points, 6 boards, 10 assists), Malcolm Brogdon (16 points, 5 rebounds), and Grant Williams (12 points, 5 boards, 3 blocks) helped cover the absence of Brown and Horford well on the way to a 31-12 record.
