NEW YORK (AP) — Jae Crowder scored nine of his 24 points late in the fourth quarter, Avery Bradley had 16 overall, and the Boston Celtics edged the Brooklyn Nets 98-95 on Friday night.
Al Horford added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Celtics, who were playing without All-Star Isaiah Thomas. Boston’s point guard sat the first game of a two-game road trip. Thomas, second in the NBA in scoring with 29.2 points per game, bruised his right knee in Wednesday night’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves after a hard fall.
Boston moved within two games of the idle Cleveland Cavaliers for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.