Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
What Stood Out from the Celtics' Win vs. Nets: Boston Refuses to Play Down to Its Competition
On Tuesday, the Celtics made light work of a depleted Nets team, earning a 126-91 win and improving their record to 15-6 since New Year's Eve.
Much of those victories have come against inferior opponents, including Brooklyn, who took the court without Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving. But Boston's ability to consistently play up to the standard it has set for itself is commendable and speaks to a level of focus that will help them against better competition.
The Celtics leap-frogging the Nets, moving up to seventh in the East, and a virtual tie with the sixth-seeded Raptors, also reflects the massive difference it makes for them to be healthy and have their starting lineup intact.
Whether the habits the Celtics are developing now, especially regarding their improved ball movement and spacing, are staples of how they play against the top competition remains to be seen. But if they are, they'll have a far better chance of avoiding a quick exit from the postseason.
Now, for what stood out from Boston's win over the Nets on Tuesday.
Celtics Build the Largest First-Quarter Lead by Any NBA Team This Season
Taking advantage of the gap in talent created by the absences of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving, the Celtics jumped out to a 28-2 lead. As stated in the header above, that's the largest first-quarter lead by any NBA team this season.
Jaylen Brown, who's known for getting off to fast starts, did so again on Tuesday, scoring 12 of his 22 points in the first frame to help Boston set the tone for this game.
The Celtics continue to play lockdown defense, and at the other end, their ball and player movement were excellent on Tuesday, which is also a growing trend. They took care of business early against Brooklyn, which speaks to Boston's newfound ability to not play down to less talented competition.
Jayson Tatum's Passing Out of Double Teams
The Nets consistently sent two defenders at Jayson Tatum in hopes of minimizing his impact, and he repeatedly made them pay for doing so.
The now three-time All-Star finished with four assists, which was plenty for a game like this one where he only needed to play 27 minutes, and he also racked up plenty of hockey assists that won't show up in a traditional box score.
Celtics Register Their Most Points in a First Half This Season
After two quarters, the Celtics had put 69 points on the board, the most they've scored in a first half this season.
Propelled by its lockdown defense and fantastic player and ball movement -- and the talent discrepancy -- Boston shot 28/45 (62.2 percent) from the field, including 8/20 (40 percent) from beyond the arc.
They had 19 assists, 38 points in the paint -- the most they've produced in any half this season -- only committed five turnovers, and they scored 18 points off Brooklyn turnovers.
Jaylen Brown entered the break with 18 points on 7/8 (87.5 percent) shooting, and he also dished out five of his nine assists and grabbed five of his seven rebounds in the first half.
The Nature of Marcus Smart's Great Shooting Night
Marcus Smart tied Brown for a game-high 22 points, doing so on 8/16 shooting, including going 6/13 (46.2 percent) on his three-point attempts.
Smart won't always shoot that well, but he was taking good shots that came from Boston moving the ball effectively and capitalizing on the extra attention Tatum and Brown were drawing. Those in rhythm and often open looks improve the chances of him or any player seeing the ball go through the net.
Up Next
The Celtics are off until after the trade deadline. Inside The Celtics has complete coverage leading up to, during, and after Thursday's deadline at 3 P.M. EST.
Then, they host the Denver Nuggets on Friday night. That matchup tips off at 7:30 EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.
Further Reading
The Case for the Celtics Trading for Jerami Grant
Two Teams Reportedly Have Offers Out for Celtics' Dennis Schroder
Marcus Smart Reportedly a Trade Target for Minnesota Timberwolves
Utah Jazz Reportedly Interested in Acquiring Josh Richardson
