Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving lead Brooklyn Nets to 123-95 victory over Boston Celtics

Behind a combined 66 points for superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Brooklyn Nets knocked off the Boston Celtics 123-95 on Christmas Day at TD Garden.

Irving finished with a game-high 37 points and eight assists, shooting 13-of-21 from the field while Durant made nine of the 16 shots he took to end the evening with 29.

Trailing by three heading into the third quarter, the Nets (2-0) duo took over, highlighted by five straight makes for Durant out of the break after he attempted just six field goals in the first half. After a Jaylen Brown free throw cut Brooklyn’s lead to 73-70 with 4:35 left in the quarter, the Nets extended its lead to 12 thanks to a 9-0 run by Durant and Irving.

Brooklyn continued to pull away in the fourth quarter, going on a 9-2 run in the first 2:16 to build a 16-point advantage. In the second half alone, the Nets outscored the Celtics 72-41 including a 37-18 final 12 minutes.

Jaylen Brown led all Boston scorers with a team-high 27 points, followed by Jayson Tatum, who overcame a scoreless first quarter to finish with 20. Marcus Smart chipped in 13, adding six assists in the defeat. As a team, the Celtics shot 38 percent from the field, making just eight of 27 three point attempts.

Following a scoreless first quarter, Tatum ramped up his efforts offensively, ending the first half with 12 points including a step-back three pointer with 41 seconds left to send the Celtics into the break with a 54-51 advantage.

For the second consecutive game, Boston bounced back from a poor opening 12 minutes, making 14 of 26 shot attempts in the second quarter to erase a four-point deficit after shooting 30 percent in the first.

The Celtics are back in action on Sunday when they take on the Indiana Pacers at 8:00 p.m. at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

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