Celtics join exclusive NBA club after beating Nets by 50 points

The Celtics defeated the Nets this Wednesday night 136 to 86 and proved once again why they are currently leading the NBA this season. Not only was this Joe Mazzulla’s 100th victory as head coach, Boston also become just the third team in league history to win multiple games by 50+ points in a single campaign. 

While Payton Pritchard led the match in points with 28 to his name, teammate Derrick White hit 27, and star Jayson Tatum posted 20 points, 9 assists and 7 rebound after beating Brooklyn on back-to-back nights. This contest meant their last one before the All-Star break.

“You can’t operate by feeling, so regardless if we lost tonight and won five out of six or six out of six, you have a tendency to relax, you have a tendency to put it in cruise control,” said the Celtics tactician. “So winning is just as dangerous as losing if you don’t handle it the right way.”

The Celtics beat the Nets by 50 POINTS tonight…

THIS TEAM. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/KuqOnKTKxt

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 15, 2024

The Massachusetts club will now enter the break as the NBA leaders with a 43-12 record. However, it will be wise to remember that last season they also sat atop of the standings before playoffs with a 57-25 mark, and weren’t able to reach the NBA Finals.

“I told the guys, it’s something to be proud of, something to be grateful for, and it’s just a testament to the people that you have around you,” Mazzulla said about his own regular-season record. “In a business where individual success is highly talked about on a nightly basis, the box scores and stuff like that, to have a group of people you can share in your success with is important.”

This victory meant they’ve overcome opponents by 50+ points twice already this campaign, as they destroyed the Indiana Pacers by 51 on November 1. Now Boston have joined the 1978/79 Milwaukee Bucks, as well as the 1992/93 Sacramento Kings, as the only squads to ever achieve this feat.

For the Celtics, this was only their fifth 50-point triumph in club history. Big man Kristaps Porzingis believes that his coach doesn’t get enough credit for his work, and attributes this to the fact that he’s only in his second season as head coach.

“He’s very underrated as a coach. And different. I think people really don’t see who he is and how he coaches,” the star center expressed. “He deserves a lot of credit.” Unfortunately for Porzingis, he had to leave the match in the first half due to a sprained ankle.

Coach Jacque Vaughn said this defeat serves as a reminder that Brooklyn still has a lot to improve

The Nets have lost 5 out of their last 6 matches and had no high scorers during the contest against Boston, as Trendon Watford led his club in points with only 15. At one moment during the game, they trailed by as many as 56 points.

Boston, on the other hand, were able to control the match from start to finish despite the fact that they played without All-Star Jaylen Brown, who was on the injured list due to a bruised right shoulder and Al Horford, who still suffers a sprained big toe.

Coach Jacque Vaughn believes this loss represents a huge reminder that the Nets need to improve a lot if they are still hoping to qualify for the postseason. Take a look at the highlights of the contest in the video above.

“It’s a great reminder…that we have work to do,” shared the Brooklyn tactician. “We have to be OK doing the work. But I do believe this team can do the work. So use this as a reminder that we got our tails kicked tonight and that after the break it won’t be any easier. But we have to up for the challenge.”