Jayson Tatum dominated early as the Celtics tacked onto their win streak as they defeated the Nets 118-110 on Tuesday in Brooklyn. The C’s won their fifth straight game as they improved to a league-best 42-12 record. The Nets are now 21-32 on the year.

While it was a closer game early, Tatum had no trouble pulling his squad ahead with 31 points in the first half. He poured in points early as the offense came easy even with big man Kristaps Porzingis sidelined with his low back contusion.

The Nets, while they might lack talent, kept it close down the stretch of Tuesday’s game. They cut what was once a 23-point C’s lead down to six points late in the fourth quarter, forcing the starters to work. While the Celtics responded to preserve the win, the Nets showed once again they play hard as they look to stay in the East play-in picture.
Tatum finished with 41 points and 14 rebounds after the early shot-making. Jrue Holiday was in a dishing mood, finishing with 14 points and 12 assists. Cam Thomas had 26 points while Mikal Bridges had 27 for the Nets.

The Celtics face the Nets again on the back-to-back, though this time the game will be at TD Garden at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Brooklyn:

Going off: Tatum was dominant right from tipoff as he tied a career-high with 31 points in the first half alone. The buckets came easy as Tatum was 10-for-17 from the field in the opening two quarters. Tatum ended with 41 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, which was another nod to his all-around style in recent games. He also finished 14-for-26 (5-for-11 on 3-pointers) from the field as his game was under control throughout Tuesday’s game.

Chipping in: Porzingis is a huge part of the Celtics’ offense as a post presence. So whenever the big man is out, how the C’s operate is significantly different. But the Celtics got some important contributions from their starters Tuesday. Holiday had his double-double with 14 points and 12 assists as he had an impressive game. Al Horford also put up 16 points and six rebounds, starting in Porzingis’ place, as he also finished a perfect 6-for-6 from the field. Derrick White also hit some clutch 3s in the fourth quarter as he had 16 points.

Interesting strategy: Midway through the second quarter, C’s coach Joe Mazzulla elected to go with a Hack-a-Simmons strategy on Ben Simmons. The Nets guard’s free throw shooting woes have been well-documented, so Mazzulla looked to capitalize on two separate possessions. Simmons ended up going 2-for-4 on the free throws before he was subbed out after picking up his third foul. Then, to double down, Mazzulla went after big man Nic Claxton, intentionally fouling him to get to the free throw line. Claxton ended up hitting both free throws, though, as Mazzulla went away from the move. But that’s an intriguing wrinkle from Mazzulla to put pressure on the Nets and some of their poor free-throw shooters.

One more game: The old adage around the NBA is that the few weeks before the All-Star break are some of the toughest on the schedule. The break seems close, but there are still plenty of games left as teams must stay locked in during the dog days of the season. Well, the C’s took care of business as they’ve now won five games in a row. There haven’t been too many lulls as the best team in the NBA continues to keep racking up victories. They’ll look to sweep the Nets over the back-to-back and season series when they face again Wednesday.

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