Jayson Tatum’s Celtics smash the nets to victory

During Wednesday night’s NBA game, Jayson Tatum scored 31 points and added nine rebounds as the Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets 139-96.

In a game, the Celtics never trailed and led with 49 points, both Boston stars making seven 3-pointers. En route to its biggest win this season, Boston shot 60 percent through three quarters.

“You can tell we were ready to go from the jump,” Tatum said.

This was Tatum and Brown’s eighth game this season in which both players scored 25 points. On his return from a sprained ankle, Robert Williams finished with 16 points and nine rebounds. Derrick White also scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

“They’re hungry,” Williams said of Tatum and Brown. “They’re still (upset) about last year.”

This season, the Celtics have won all three games against the Nets. At the start of the night, Tatum averaged 37.5 minutes per game, placing second in the NBA. The fourth quarter was mainly played sitting down. He played just over 29 minutes on Wednesday.

“I feel great,” Tatum said. “My body feels so much better right now than it did last season.”

NBA SCORES & NEWS: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics & Brooklyn Nets Updates

The Nets shot 41 percent during the game, including 9 of 39 from behind the arc, while Kyrie Irving scored 20 points. Cam Thomas added 19 points. Since Kevin Durant injured his right knee on January 8, the Nets have fallen to 4-7.

“It’s obvious they want to win the championship and they’re not wasting any time in the regular season,” Irving said. “Tonight I felt like we were just one of those teams that got in the way, and you know, we just can’t be one of those teams that got in the way. We have to be one of those teams that stands up to them.”

Both Ben Simmons and TJ Warren sat out for the third game in a row due to injuries. Boston raced to a 33–7 lead with the Nets starting only 2 of 14 from the field, while the Celtics had their full rotation at their disposal except for Marcus Smart, who was sidelined for the fifth consecutive game due to a sprained right ankle.

NBA SCORES & NEWS: Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics & Brooklyn Nets Updates

Boston fans booed whenever Irving touched the basketball, mirroring their treatment of him at TD Garden during his last two visits. Irving missed four of his five opening shots during the first half.

After finishing the first quarter with 18 points, Tatum single-handedly outscored the Nets as Boston took a 46–16 lead in the second quarter, marking the team’s first time beating its opponent by 30 points. At halftime, the Celtics led 79–45.

“This was a night where they hit first, they hit hard and it hurt,” said Nets coach Jacque Vaughn.