National Basketball Association
Boston 139, Brooklyn 96
When: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, February 1, 2023
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Officials: #91 Cheryl Flores, #4 Sean Wright, #49 Tom Washington
Attendance: 19156

The Boston Celtics didn't do much wrong in the opening quarter and breezed to a 139-96 home victory over the depleted Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.

Boston was 18-for-29 from the field (62.1 percent) in the opening frame and led 46-16 after 12 minutes. It was the largest lead the Celtics have had after the first quarter in franchise history.

The Celtics made 8 of 11 3-pointers in the period -- including their first seven attempts -- and outrebounded Brooklyn 20-6. The 2018-19 Golden State Warriors hold the NBA record for most points in a first quarter (51).

Brooklyn trailed 79-45 at halftime and 110-72 after three quarters. Boston's lead peaked at 49 in the fourth quarter.

Boston's Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 31 points. He also had nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot before the Celtics put their starters on the bench after three quarters. Jaylen Brown added 26 points.

The Celtics made 26 3-pointers -- one shy of matching a franchise record. Both Tatum and Brown were 7 of 12 from behind the 3-point arc.

Kyrie Irving led the Nets with 20 points, four rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes. Joe Harris tossed in four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points for Brooklyn, which has lost its last 10 games against Boston (including playoffs).

Boston had a 57-32 rebounding edge.

In addition to Kevin Durant, who hasn't played since Jan. 8 because of an MCL sprain, the Nets were without Ben Simmons (knee) and T.J. Warren (shin contusion). Simmons and Warren have each missed the last three games.

It was the third of four meetings between the teams during the regular season. The Celtics prevailed 103-92 in Brooklyn on Dec. 4, and 109-98 in Brooklyn on Jan. 12.

The Celtics didn't have Marcus Smart, who missed his fifth consecutive game with a sprained ankle. Boston is 2-3 during that five-game stretch.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Brooklyn   Boston
Kyrie Irving 20 Scoring Jayson Tatum 31
Kyrie Irving 4 Assists Derrick White 5
Day'Ron Sharpe 7 Rebounds Derrick White 10
Cam Thomas 4 Free Throws Made Jaylen Brown 3
Nic Claxton 1 Steals Jayson Tatum 2
Kyrie Irving 1 Blocks Luke Kornet 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Brooklyn 96 40.9 9-39 15-18 19 32 1 8 7
Boston 139 57.6 26-54 7-10 28 57 4 4 12
Upcoming Games
  • Boston will play their next game at home against Phoenix. The Celtics have a W/L % of .778 after a win and .562 after a loss.
  • Brooklyn will play their next game at home against Washington. The Nets have a W/L % of .625 after a win and .579 after a loss.