It was a brand-new starting lineup for the Boston Celtics tonight, as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were both ruled out due to knee injuries. In their absence, they found a tougher test in their second consecutive game against the NBA Lottery-hopeful Brooklyn Nets than they might have otherwise. Thanks to a stunning performance from rookie wing Baylor Scheierman, though, the Celtics rode a strong second half to a 104-96 win.
Al Horford and Sam Hauser joined the starting lineup, but the breakthrough performance tonight came from a much more unexpected source. Scheierman announced himself in a loud fashion tonight, scoring a career-high 20 points in just 16 minutes of play, knocking down six of his seven three-point attempts. Kristaps Porzingis added a full stat sheet, scoring 25 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, dishing three assists and recording four stocks, while Derrick White added 18 points but struggled with efficiency, shooting just 6-of-19 from the field. For the Nets, D’Angelo Russell scored 18 points and Ziaire Williams added 15.
Playing his second game since returning from an extended absence due to a viral illness, Porzingis was the anchor for the Celtics early, scoring their first seven points of the game. Despite the spirited start from the Latvian center, though, the Celtics quickly found themselves in a scrap against a plucky young Nets team. Brooklyn enjoyed a hot offensive start, shooting 50% from the field with eight players scoring at least one basket (and none more than two) in the first quarter. Their egalitarian approach earned them an early edge against a sluggish Celtics team (37% shooting), and the Nets took a 26-21 lead into the second quarter.
Absent their two superstars, Boston’s offensive malaise carried over into the second quarter. They sorely lacked a primary creator, with White and Holiday combining to shoot 4-of-15 in the half as the primary ballhandlers. To their benefit, though, the Brooklyn offense cooled as well, and Porzingis continued to stress their frontcourt defenders, matching his first quarter scoring total with another seven points in the second. The shorthanded Celtics found themselves in a dogfight tonight, but they still trailed by just five points at the halftime break, 49-44.
The Celtics found some life in the early minutes of the second quarter, finally discovering a bit of a groove offensively. White tripled his first half output with three buckets in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, and Porzingis — despite a pair of sloppy turnovers — continued to excel, recording his 900th career blocked shot in the process. Boston quickly pulled within a point of Brooklyn’s lead, and as White’s resurgent quarter continued — he scored 13 in the third — they finally put themselves back on top with just under five minutes to play in the third. After a modest Nets run, buzzer-beating three from Scheierman would give the Celtics a one-point lead in to the final quarter, 71-70.
The two teams traded blows through the early minutes of the fourth quarter, the lead remaining within a possession or two. Of note was Porzingis’ minutes limit; having played 32 minutes and the entire fourth quarter against the Nets on Saturday, his involvement in the fourth quarter was a point of intrigue. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla opted to find Porzingis some rest in the early minutes of the fourth quarter, and his final minutes total landed at 29.
Near the midway point, the Scheierman breakout game hit a fever pitch. The rookie forward connected on consecutive threes for Boston with just over six minutes remaining in regulation — his fourth and fifth of the game — to establish the Celtics’ largest lead of the evening at four points, 84-80. His sixth followed not long after, and all of the sudden, he led all Celtics scorers with 20 points and counting. The outburst was exactly what Boston needed — Scheierman checked out of the game with four minutes to play, the Celtics leading by six, and the lead only grew from that point onwards.
Next up, the Celtics will resume a road-heavy portion of their schedule, visiting the Utah Jazz for the first of six consecutive games outside of the TD Garden, this Friday at 9:30 PM EST on NBC Sports Boston.
