In a nutshell
With Kyrie Irving nursing a sore hip, the Celtics rode strong performances by Jaylen Brown and Al Horford to beat those pesky Brooklyn Nets, 112-104. Per usual, the Celtics f-cked around and didn’t drop the hammer until late in the 4th quarter.
This was a weird one. The Celtics needed 4 stitches for 3 cuts, tied a franchise record for blocked shots and saw Aron Baynes (2) make more 3-pointers than Jayson Tatum and Marcus Morris combined.
What went right
The high-octane duo of Aron Baynes and Marcus Smart (combined for 6 3-pointers and 30 points) carried the offense in the 1st half.
Marcus reacts to Coach Stevens calling him & Baynes the Celtics’ “Splash Brothers” 😂🏀💦
More to come on @NBCSBoston postgame live pic.twitter.com/MuBIwvTgPv
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 29, 2019
Jaylen Brown (21 points, 9-16 FG, 6 rebounds) and Al Horford (14 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 blocks) churned out strong performances. Brown looked comfortable and confident from every spot on the floor. Dare I say, he’s turned the corner after a tough start. Meanwhile, Horford recorded his third consecutive double-double for the first time as a Celtic.
What went wrong
Stop me if you’ve heard this before but the 3rd quarter was awful. Brooklyn dropped 38 points and whittled a 10 point deficit to one. D’Angelo Russell erupted again (14 of his 23 points). The Nets had 7 offensive rebounds and 4 steals.
Gordon Hayward had two points on… oh f-ck it.
What the hell…
Smart needed two stitches for a cut over his right eye and Hayward needed two stitches for a cut on his left hand. Morris also suffered a cut on his right hand.
Al picked up his first technical foul of the season for protesting the lack of a foul call when he got whacked on the head driving to the hoop.
Highlights
Al Horford:
The block ✅
The stare-down ✅
(@AAANe_MAnews) #AAANortheast pic.twitter.com/SmpZv2PjYn— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 29, 2019
Boston's 16 blocked shots tonight matches the franchise record for blocks in a single game (16, Jan. 21, 1983 vs. Chicago)
— Celtics Stats (@celtics_stats) January 29, 2019
Jaylen with the slam 🔨(@AAANe_MAnews) #AAANortheast pic.twitter.com/auAJ2YkQQf
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 29, 2019
Great cut and finish by Smart! https://t.co/pYUl3MgLmA
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 29, 2019
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