Kristaps Porzingis recorded 25 points and 13 rebounds, while rookie Baylor Scheierman scored a career-high 20 points to help the Boston Celtics defeat the Brooklyn Nets 104-96 on Tuesday night.
Boston, playing without Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, relied on Scheierman’s late-game scoring to secure its third straight win. The Celtics improved to 50-19, sitting second in the Eastern Conference.
Scheierman hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the third quarter to put Boston ahead 71-70, then drained three more from deep in the fourth before exiting to a standing ovation. The Creighton product had never scored more than 15 points before the breakout performance.
Derrick White added 18 points, Jrue Holiday contributed 12 points and eight assists, and Payton Pritchard chipped in 10 points. Boston shot 11-for-20 in the fourth quarter, outscoring Brooklyn 33-26 in the final period.
D’Angelo Russell led the Nets with 18 points, while Ziaire Williams scored 15. Cameron Johnson and Trendon Watford each had 11 points as Brooklyn fell to 23-46, remaining 13th in the East.
The Nets entered the fourth quarter with a 70-68 lead but struggled to contain Scheierman’s shooting. After a layup from Tyrese Martin gave Brooklyn an 80-71 advantage, Scheierman responded with consecutive threes to spark Boston’s comeback.
Porzingis anchored the Celtics’ defense with three blocks, and the team held Brooklyn to 40.9% shooting overall. Boston also dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Nets 48-39.
