Boston follows its worst shooting night of the season with a 148-point avalanche against Brooklyn.
There are nights in the NBA when you overanalyze the slump.
And then there are nights like Friday, when the answer is simple:
The shots went in.
Two days after stumbling through their worst shooting performance of the season in Denver (37-23), the Boston Celtics (39-20) came home to TD Garden and authored one of the most efficient offensive games in league history - a 148-111 dismantling of the Brooklyn Nets (15-44) that felt like a pressure release valve for a team that knew it was better than what it showed for a night at Mile High.
Here are some takeaways from a record-setting night in Boston:
1. When The Math Hits:
The Celtics didn’t reinvent themselves. They didn’t suddenly discover a new offensive wrinkle.
They simply converted the same kinds of shots they generated against the Nuggets.
The numbers were absurd.
Boston shot 66.7% from the field (52 for 78) and 64.7% from three (22 for 34). Their 80.8% effective field-goal percentage set an NBA single-game record. Their 82.6% true shooting percentage did, too. They were flirting with 70% shooting before late bench minutes dragged it down slightly.
The Celtics are now 20-0 this season when they hit at least 17 threes.
When the spacing is right and the reads are clean, this offense can avalanche in a hurry.
Brooklyn hung around for a half. Then Boston dropped 43 in the third quarter and ended it.
2. Brown Steadied Everything:
Jaylen Brown didn’t start smoothly - he missed all four of his first-quarter free throws and looked slightly out of rhythm.
Then he warmed up.
And once he did, the game tilted.
He finished with 28 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds on 9 of 12 shooting (4 for 4 from three), sitting the entire fourth quarter.
His scoring binge late in the second quarter and early in the third created the separation Boston needed.
More importantly, he didn’t press after the Denver dud.
He let the game come to him - a sign of a team leader managing emotion over an 82-game season.
Feb 27, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives to the basket past Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney (21) during the second half at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/Imagn Images)3. Vooch Finally Looked Comfortable:
If there was a long-term development to circle, it was Nikola Vucevic.
After a rough outing against Denver, the trade-deadline addition responded with 28 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and a perfect 7 for 7 night at the line.
He hit all three of his triples and finished 9 of 13 overall.
Postgame, Joe Mazzulla credited the spacing and screening, and Brown emphasized aggressiveness. Vucevic himself admitted he’s still adjusting to the offense.
Friday looked like progress.
When Vucevic is decisive - screening hard, rolling, popping and attacking mismatches - Boston’s halfcourt offense becomes even more difficult to guard.
4. Supporting Cast Impact:
Payton Pritchard (22 points, 9 of 12) bounced back emphatically from Wednesday night’s dud.
Derrick White and Baylor Scheierman were perfect from deep early.
Neemias Queta sparked the opening minutes defensively.
Even deep reserves Luka Garza, Dalano Banton and John Tonje got extended run, with Tonje scoring his first NBA points.
Six Celtics finished in double figures.
That’s how you turn a competitive first half into a 35-point margin.
5. Context Always Matters:
Yes, the Nets are 15-44 and one of the league’s worst defensive teams. But they’ve played Boston tough this season.
They kept it within single digits late in the first half Friday.
The difference was the Celtics’ response.
Instead of allowing fatigue from the road trip to linger, they looked refreshed.
Instead of compounding the Denver frustration, they trusted their process.
At 39-20, the Celtics reminded everyone of their ceiling.
And with the Philadelphia 76ers (33-26) up next - and speculation swirling about a potential Jayson Tatum return - the timing of this offensive eruption couldn’t be much better.
Sometimes the takeaway isn’t complicated.
Miss good shots one night.
Make them the next.
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.