Jayson Tatum had 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Boston pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Nets 109-98 in Brooklyn's first game since losing Kevin Durant to a knee injury.
Marcus Smart added 16 points and 10 assists for the Celtics, who played without Jaylen Brown because of an injury. Malcolm Brogdon also scored 16 points, teaming with fellow backup guard Payton Pritchard to lead the decisive spurt early in the fourth that sent the Celtics to their fifth straight victory.
But there's still plenty of scorers and defense on the team with the NBA's best record. Derrick White, starting for Brown, scored 15 points. The Nets, who will be without Durant for at least two weeks after he sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee on Sunday, had won 18 of their previous 20 games and reached the midpoint of their schedule at 27-14.
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