Back at home after a seemingly interminable road trip on which they were 2-5, the Brooklyn Nets got a much-needed victory Saturday night at Barclays Center, forging a season split with the Boston Celtics with a 110-96 win.
The Nets (39-38) shook off a slow start and pulled away from the short-handed Celtics (45-32), who played without Al Horford and Kyrie Irving due to minor injuries on the back end of a back-to-back, when D’Angelo Russell went nuclear in the third quarter.
Russell scored 20 of his 29 points in the third period as Brooklyn broke open a close game with a 33-22 burst in the quarter.