The Boston Celtics defeat the Brooklyn Nets behind 41 points from Jayson Tatum, maintaining their NBA-best record.

The Boston Celtics defeat the Brooklyn Nets behind 41 points from Jayson Tatum, maintaining their NBA-best record.

Despite facing a struggling Nets team, Boston managed to maintain a comfortable lead throughout the game and evened off a late fourth-quarter rally by Brooklyn that would have brought the game to within six points. Tatum scored 31 points in the first half alone, and the Celtics led by 15 points at the half, so most of the damage was done before the buzzer.

The Celtics have one of the best five-man units in the NBA with their starting lineup of Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Tatum and Kristaps Porziņģis. They were without Porziņģis on Tuesday after he suffered a lower back contusion against the Miami Heat on Sunday but showed no signs of struggling without the Latvian center.

With veteran big man Al Horford stepping in at the five, all five Celtics starters scored in double figures as they overwhelmed Brooklyn’s defense.

Despite facing a struggling Nets team, Boston managed to maintain a comfortable lead throughout the game and evened off a late fourth-quarter rally by Brooklyn that would have brought the game to within six points. Tatum scored 31 points in the first half alone, and the Celtics led by 15 points at the half, so most of the damage was done before the buzzer.

The 25-year-old looked to be headed toward breaking his career-high of sixty points, but he cooled off in the second half, taking just nine shots and scoring ten more points. Following the game, he said there was “no temptation” to try to smash the record.

After the game, Tatum remarked, “We’ve got a really good team where in any given possession we could have two, three advantages and it’s not just going to be me.”
“So all I have to do is realize that and that I depend on my teammates.” I need everyone, and everyone needs everyone else.

Tatum is making his way into the discussion for Most Valuable Player by virtue of being the greatest player on the top team in the league, averaging 27 points and nearly nine rebounds per game.

Tatum and the Celtics are hoping to overcome their disappointment of losing the NBA Finals in 2022 and the Eastern Conference finals last year, and win the franchise’s 18th NBA championship.

Following the game, Tatum’s primary goal, according to Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla, is to win. “I believe that understanding that he must perform well for us each and every night, even though it looks different every night, is part of his growth as a player.”

The Celtics, who are now leading the Eastern Conference and improved to 42-12 following the victory, are statistically the greatest team in the NBA. At 35-17, the Cleveland Cavaliers trail the leading Western team by six games in the East.

Even with Ben Simmons returning to the starting lineup, the Nets could not cross the threshold, even with the scoring heroics of Mikal Bridges (27 points) and Cam Thomas (26 points) on the wings. Currently sitting at the 11th seed in the East and barely shy of a Play-In Tournament place, Brooklyn is 21-32 on the season.