Jaylen Brown delivered 29 points and Payton Pritchard posted 22 points with 10 rebounds as the Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets 113-99 on Tuesday night at Barclays Center, pushing their record above .500 for the first time this season.
Boston improved to 8-7 with its third consecutive victory after holding Brooklyn to one field goal over the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter.
Brown and Pritchard established the offensive tone early, combining for 35 points by halftime as the visitors carried a 62-61 edge into the break.
The matchup opened with both offenses trading perimeter buckets, producing 21 total made threes in the first two quarters.
Boston gained separation midway through the third when Brown converted a three-point play and then drilled a corner three to complete an 8-0 run for a 75-65 lead.
Brooklyn responded with a late push in the period, cutting the margin to a single possession before Brown connected from deep again to give the Celtics an 89-85 advantage entering the fourth.
Pritchard controlled the tempo as Boston tightened its coverage at the arc and limited the Nets’ ball movement during a decisive final frame.
The Celtics turned multiple stops into extended possessions, including a key sequence where they secured three offensive rebounds before Derrick White hit a three for a 100-92 lead.
White finished with 15 points and added four assists while Neemias Queta contributed seven rebounds and three blocks in 23 minutes.
Boston’s bench supplied timely production, highlighted by Sam Hauser’s eight points and Xavier Tillman’s two blocks in 22 energetic minutes.
Brooklyn dropped to 2-12 overall and 0-7 at home despite another strong outing from Michael Porter Jr., who scored 25 points for his seventh straight game with at least 20.
Porter had 18 at halftime and briefly gave the Nets a 90-89 edge with 9:08 remaining before their offense stalled for nearly eight minutes.
Day’Ron Sharpe added 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting and helped the Nets maintain second-chance opportunities with seven rebounds.
However, Brooklyn finished the night at 40 percent from the field and struggled to counter Boston’s late ball pressure.
The Celtics shot 49 percent overall, went 19-for-42 from three, and outrebounded Brooklyn 49-39, including 10 offensive boards that repeatedly extended possessions in the second half.
Brown closed out the night with his fourth three-pointer to cap an 18-3 surge that turned a tight game into a double-digit advantage with under three minutes left.
Boston, which began the season 0-3 before finding steadier rhythm, will look for a fourth straight victory when these teams meet again Friday night at TD Garden.
