The Celtics extended their winning streak to five games with Thursday night's 109-98 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Boston has now defeated Brooklyn in each of their last nine meetings, and are now 7-0 on the second night of a back-to-back this season.
With both Jaylen Brown and Al Horford sidelined, the Celtics needed guys to step up. In the two games Brown had missed this season prior to Thursday night, Jayson Tatum was averaging 39.0 points. Tatum also entered Thursday night's game having scored 25-plus points in 14 straight games. But he was held to just 20 points on the night.
His teammates, however, were able to step up and answer the call against a Nets team that was also down a star with Kevin Durant out. Every player that saw the court for Boston finished with a positive plus-minus and recorded at least one bucket. Boston also had six players finish in double figures.
That's an encouraging sight. With Brown out and Tatum having an "off" night, the Celtics were still able to defeat a team that had won 18 of their last 20 games and possesses the second-best record in the Eastern Conference rather comfortably.
Here are three takeaways as the Celtics kicked off their three-game road trip with a W.
Boston dominates on the glass again
After out-rebounding the Nets 48-31 on Thursday night, the Celtics have now out-rebounded their opponents 148-106 over their last three games. Of those 148 rebounds, 32 have been on the offensive glass, resulting in 27 second-chance points for the Celtics. Rebounding is a big part of the success of the Celtics. When the Celtics win the rebounding battle, they are 18-4. When they get out-rebounded, they are 11-8.
Celtics' depth pieces step up
Just a season ago, the Celtics bench ranked 26th in scoring and assists and was dead last in rebounds. Now, the bench is a major contributor to the success of the team.
Thursday night showed just how deep the Celtics' roster is. With Horford and Brown out, it opened up an opportunity for guys like Luke Kornet and Payton Pritchard to get extended run, and they both showed that they deserve minutes.
The problem is, there are no minutes to spare. In the case of Pritchard, he's competing with Malcolm Brogdon, who is top five in scoring and assists off the bench. Luke Kornet is sitting behind Robert Williams, who was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team a season ago.
Whenever they have been called upon, guys like Kornet and Pritchard have stepped up, and they have done it in a big way. The lack of a bench hindered the success of the Celtics a season ago. The improved bench could go a long way come the spring.
Robert Williams sees big minutes
When asked pregame on Monday if Williams is on a minute restriction, Joe Mazzulla said, "He's not under a restriction as much as it is just the management."
Prior to Thursday night, Williams had not seen more than 23 minutes in a game this season. With Horford out, Williams got his second start of the season and played a season-high 29 minutes. His 29 minutes played Thursday night are the most he's played in a regular-season game since March 13, 2022.
