Celtics complete undefeated roadtrip with win over Nets, 111-92


The Celtics dispatched the Nets with strong first and fourth quarters, 111-92. Boston was carried by Isaiah Thomas (23 pts, 5 ast), Avery Bradley (22 pts, 7 reb, 5 stl), and Al Horford (17 pts, 8 ast, 5 reb). Horford, who poured in three three-pointers, operated as a lethal force off the pick-and-pop.

The C's struggled from deep until the fourth, and only worked their way to the free throw line eight times. That compares to Brooklyn's 22 trips to the charity stripe.

The Nets were led by Sean Kilpatrick (23 pts) who finished tied as the games leading scorer after being benched in the fourth.

Game notes:
-Celtics win their third straight, six of their last eight.
-Brooklyn has now lost five straight, dropping to 4-10 on the year.
-Thomas breaks the 20 point mark for the 13th time this season.
-Jae Crowder (15 pts, 5 reb) played through an ankle injury, but found his rhythm in the fourth quarter.

 First Quarter:

The Celtics jumped out to an early lead on the shoulders of Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley. Strong defense spurred the C's through a handful of runs, including this one:


Boston used turnovers to make slick plays on the other end, ending the quarter up 30-16.


Second Quarter:

The second frame was not the Celtics quarter. Brooklyn took advantage of poor Boston shooting to claw back into the ballgame. The C's didn't just struggle from the floor, but also coughed the ball up six times over the course of the quarter, translating to ten points off turnovers for the Nets.


The Celtics never gave up the lead, but watched a 17-point cushion deflate to two by the end of the half.


Third quarter

Brooklyn hung around for most of the quarter, even tying it up about halfway through the period. It wasn't until about four minutes left in the third that the Celtics were able to build a lead bigger than six. That run was sparked by great defense and rebounding by Tyler Zeller. The big man picked up two points, three rebounds, and one block in the last four minutes of the quarter surging the C's to a 12-2 run to close out the frame. 79-66, Boston.



Fourth Quarter

After rebuilding a lead over the Nets, the Celtics looked to come out strong in the final quarter. In a back-and-forth battle, Jonas Jerebko emerged for the C's, putting up seven points in the first few minutes, answering each Brooklyn bucket. His run was punctuated by a three from the corner with 8 and a half to go, 89-78 Celtics.


Boston continued to cruise, finding their rhythm from outside, and picking up the defense to pull away in the final minutes of the quarter. The Celtics finished the game on a 22-10 run, 111-92 Boston.

Follow Topher Lane on Twitter, @Topher_L. Photo credit: Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports
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