The Boston Celtics took care of business down at Barclays Center against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. Their 113-97 win kept Brooklyn winless at home this season, and more importantly, extended their win streak to three.
Here' s what stood out:
Sam Hauser found his shot (at least for a night)
Sam Hauser had made just three of his last 20 three-point attempts before the Celtics’ matchup with the Nets -- a remarkable cold streak for one of the league’s best shooters. Thankfully for Boston, he found the bottom of the net in this one.
Hauser finished with eight points and seven rebounds on 3-7 from the field.
The statline isn't overly impressive, but Hauser had his fingerprints all over Boston's dominant fourth quarter. Big shots, hustle plays, smart passes; he did it all.
This is the first time we’ve seen the Celtics play carelessly this season
You don’t go into a Celtics vs. Nets game in the year 2025 expecting a back-and-forth battle (at least for a half). Yet, on Tuesday, that’s what it was for most of the night. We all have the Celtics’ giving spirit to thank for that.
In the first half alone, they eclipsed their season-average for turnovers, coughing the ball up 12 times. Brooklyn cashed in on their takeaways for 17 of their 61 points in the first 24 minutes.
They finished with a season high 19 turnovers, thankfully, it didn't hurt them in the long run.
It’s nice to see Josh Minott back
Josh Minott lost his spot in the starting lineup to Jordan Walsh last week and had played 16 minutes or less in three of his last four appearances heading into Tuesday. The early-season magic seemed to have left the 22-year-old after his impressive start to his Celtics tenure.
Not only did his minutes dwindle, but his three-point shot cooled off, too. Minott was just 2-7 over said four-game span.
Both his playing time and touch returned vs. the Nets.
Minott sank all three of his long-range attempts at Barclays Center and simply played with a different swagger than we’d seen from him lately. I guess that’s just part of the NBA for guys who are fighting for their spot in the rotation.
Sometimes you’ll be hot, others you’ll be cold.
When Minott’s hot, it’s not difficult to see how impactful he can be for the Cs. His emergence as a rotation player was part of the reason for Boston’s improvement on the glass after their brutal start.
Now that he’s proven what he’s capable of, the next step is finding consistency on the court.
This is the most comfortable Anfernee Simons has looked in a small role
This isn’t meant to be an “insult take” or anything, but Anfernee Simons actually looked like a quality offensive fit for the Celtics in Brooklyn. It sounds like the bare minimum, but his change in role since being traded to Boston clearly hasn’t been an easy adjustment.
Watching him play against the Nets was sort of a “Huh, that’s how this is supposed to work,” moment. Boston mostly utilized him off the ball, with limited possessions as the primary ball handler. They did a good job of setting Simons up to succeed with a few handoff actions.
Most importantly, this might’ve been the most we’ve seen him pass. He was more than willing to make the extra dish on several occasions. Instead of being a ball-stopper, he was a connector.
Baylor Scheierman impressed
Baylor Scheierman has had a few small, impressive moments throughout the season. His short bursts of defense on Donovan Mitchell, a few threes here and there, but his game felt more complete on Tuesday.
He played great defense for the majority of his 12 minutes, a trend for most of this early campaign. Scheierman once again looked comfortable catching and shooting, which is essential to staying on the floor for Boston. Plus, he got to handle the ball for a few possessions and actually looked pretty calm doing it.