Jayson Tatum scored 32 points Saturday night and the Boston Celtics pulled away midway through the fourth quarter to remain undefeated with a 124-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in New York. The Celtics never led by more than 14 points and looked sluggish at times before improving to 5-0 for the first time since beginning the 2009-10 season with six straight wins.
Tatum surpassed 30 points for the fourth time this season and also reached 10,000 points by converting a three-point play in the second quarter. At 25 years and 246 days, Tatum became the youngest player in Celtics history to reach the 10K milestone.
Tatum made 10 of 20 shots, made six of Boston's 15 3-pointers and grabbed 11 rebounds. Jaylen Brown added 23 points, while Kristaps Porzingis battled his way against Brooklyn's smaller lineup and contributed 22 to help the Celtics score 52 points in the paint. Jrue Holiday added 18 points and 10 assists as the Celtics shot 47.8 percent from the field and improved to 11-1 in their last 12 meetings with the Nets.
For his part, Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists, Michael Porter Jr. scored 27, his best mark of the season, and the Denver Nuggets overcame the loss of point guard Jamal Murray to win 123 on Saturday. 101 to the Chicago Bulls. Aaron Gordon had 15 points and 12 rebounds for defending NBA champion Denver, which has won all four of its home games.
Murray played the first 8:40 minutes before leaving with tightness in his right hamstring. He finished with two points and two rebounds. Reggie Jackson, who got more minutes in Murray's place, scored 16 off the bench, tying his season high. "I tried to adapt to the environment," Jackson said of playing with the starters. "You just have to figure out how not to mess it up and then be aggressive in the places where I can be aggressive. That group really knows how to play with each other, so you have to be in the right state.
