VIDEO RECAP – FINAL: #Celtics 96 – #Nets 104

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The Brooklyn Nets beat the Boston Celtics last night by a score of 104-96  in Brooklyn.

The leader of the Nets, Deron Williams, came back last and boy did it feel different from the opening tip until the final buzzer sounded at Barclays Center.

The Nets came out with passion and purpose which hasn’t been seen much in this early season demise. The “head of the snake”, as his teammates call him, was back in action and pushed the ball up and down to help Brooklyn get some easy buckets and never feel sorry for themselves after a Celtics run.

The Celtics opened the game leading 14-5 and then Brooklyn went on a 30-10 run behind Williams leading the way.

Brook Lopez continued his hot play with another efficient and dominant night down low with 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting and grabbed three rebounds.  The Celtics had no answer for the big man and they double-teamed him the entire second half to combat his dominance.

Kevin Garnett played much better and ended with 11 points, nine rebounds and three assists but more importantly he looked solid in a more secondary role.

Paul Pierce also made an early return from his broken hand and came off the bench to score only four points but he did grab seven rebounds in his new role.

The entire team seemed to have much more energy and passion for this game with their leader back on the floor after missing the last nine games.  Alan Anderson played great in the starting role for Pierce and it might very well be the best lineup the Nets can put on the floor with him at the small forward.

[quote_box]“I mean, he’s D-Will,” said Brook Lopez, who hit on 10 of his 13 shots and seemed right in sync with Williams right from the start. “It’s so simple. It’s tough to quantify and to put into words but the energy he gives us out there, the composure, the leadership? And other teams have to respect him, too.”[/quote_box]

[box]KEY STATS:  The Nets outrebounded the Celtics 42-35 and dominated the paint 48-30.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Deron Williams had a season high 25 points and dished out seven assists in his return to action.

NEXT UP:  The Nets will be back in action Thursday night when they host the Los Angeles Clippers at 8:00pm in Brooklyn.  The game can be seen on YES. [/box]