NBA: Celtics pulverize the Nets, Boston in total demolition

A steamroller at the TD Garden

Sometimes an NBA game is a box-ticking exercise. Sometimes it’s a statement.

Friday night, Boston turned their game against the Brooklyn Nets into an offensive clinic. Final score: 148-111. A smackdown. Clean. Methodical. Almost clinical.

The numbers are dizzying. 66.7% shooting, a season-high. 22 three-pointers. 77 points off the bench. Yes — the bench.

Brooklyn hung on for a half. After that the green wave wiped them out.

Jaylen Brown the boss, barely breaking a sweat

Jaylen Brown didn’t need to force it to make the difference. 28 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds. Almost a triple-double. More importantly: he controlled the tempo.

What stands out isn’t just the output. It’s the fluidity. Brown attacked closeouts, found his shooters, mixed powerful drives with patient reads. He didn’t hoard the ball. He made it hum.

Boston have won five of six since the All-Star break. Brown is one of the engines.

Jaylen Brown 28 PTS, 7 REB, 9 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 9/12 FG, 4/4 3FG, 85.4% TS vs Nets https://t.co/4WLFwozHuY pic.twitter.com/psudih67oL

— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) February 28, 2026

Vucevic settles in, the bench erupts

Newcomer Nikola Vucevic keeps adding a steadying hand in the paint. 28 points, 11 rebounds. His third double-double in green.

His post game punished Brooklyn’s bigs. His outside shot stretched the defense. His timing smoothed the offense.

And while the starters did their thing, the bench lit up. Payton Pritchard dropped 22. The reserves combined for 77 points. Not a throwaway stat — depth that scares the East.

In the third quarter Boston put Brooklyn away 43-26. 15-for-19 shooting. 12 assists. 5-for-7 from deep. The ball moved like a drill.

By the end of the period the gap was unreachable.

Brooklyn powerless, despite occasional flashes

The Nets tried to hang on in the first half. Only 66-57 at the break. They cashed in on eight Celtics turnovers for 12 easy points.

Michael Porter Jr. finished with 18. But the overall touch wasn’t there. And the defense never found an answer to the successive waves.

In the second half Boston committed just four turnovers. Discipline. Execution. Patience.

The lead swelled to 41 in the fourth. The TD Garden soaked it up. Brooklyn took their seventh straight loss.

Boston sending a message to the East

This win only registers as another notch in the standings. But in the way they did it, it says much more.

They showed they can win by shooting 66%. They also won by sharing the ball, cutting down mistakes and getting everyone involved.

This is more than a collection of talent. It’s structured. Deep. Versatile.

Next up: the Philadelphia 76ers at the TD Garden. The Nets host the Cavaliers.

Boston moves forward. Brooklyn slides back.

When the Celtics hit this level of efficiency, few teams can hang with them.

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