Celtics blow out Nets

JAYLEN Brown chalked up 28 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds as the Boston Celtics cruised to a dominant 148-111 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night (Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, PH time), the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Nikola Vucevic also notched 28 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double since joining Boston, while Payton Pritchard chipped in 22 points. The Celtics have now won five of their six games since returning from the All-Star break.

Boston shot a season-best 66.7 percent from the field and knocked down 22 three-pointers. The Celtics also received a major boost from their bench, which produced 77 points.

Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 18 points as Brooklyn dropped its seventh straight game.

The Celtics seized control in the third quarter, outscoring the Nets 43-26. Brooklyn managed just seven points over the final 6:23 of the period. Boston shot 15-of-19 from the field in the quarter, dished out 12 assists and made 5-of-7 attempts from beyond the arc.

Boston’s lead ballooned to as many as 41 points in the fourth quarter.

Despite shooting 62 percent from the field (24-of-39) and 60 percent from three-point range (12-of-20) in the first half, the Celtics held only a 66-57 lead at halftime. Brooklyn stayed within striking distance by forcing eight Boston turnovers, converting them into 12 points. The Celtics committed just four turnovers in the second half.

Testy matchup

In Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made a spectacular return from a nine-game absence due to an abdominal strain, scoring 36 points to lead the Thunder to a 127-121 overtime win against the Denver Nuggets.

The AP noted that the reigning MVP did not play in the overtime period, yet the Thunder managed to pull through in a contest defined by physical play and multiple technical fouls.

The matchup between the Northwest Division rivals turned “testy” when Nikola Jokic and Lu Dort were involved in a fourth-quarter altercation.

Dort was subsequently ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul following a hard hit on Jokic that sparked a midcourt scrum. Despite the tension, Jokic finished with a massive triple-double of 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 14 assists, while Jamal Murray led all Denver scorers with 39 points.

The Thunder trailed 59-50 at the half, but Gilgeous-Alexander fueled a third-quarter comeback with 14 points in that period alone.

After a back-and-forth fourth quarter ended in a 107-107 deadlock, Oklahoma City took control in the extra session. This victory marks the Thunder’s third win over Denver this season, continuing the momentum from their seven-game playoff series win over the Nuggets last year.

Elsewhere, New York defeated Milwaukee 127-98, the Detroit Pistons edged the Cleveland Cavaliers 122-119 in overtime, and Memphis won 124-105 at Dallas. / LBG