Jayson Tatum had 33 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists to lead the Celtics, and Payton Pritchard added 20 points off the bench. Boston won despite connecting on just 14 of 53 three-pointers (26.4 percent). Cam Thomas led the Nets with 31 points.

The Nets pushed back the Celtics’ runs all night and led 88-82 with six minutes remaining. But then they were held scoreless for more than three minutes, and the Celtics took their first lead, 89-88, on a Jrue Holiday layup with 4:25 to go.

Neither team could increase their lead in the following minutes. With the score tied at 92, Thomas missed a driving layup with 37 seconds to play and Tatum grabbed the rebound. After a timeout, the Celtics created a two-on-one opportunity, with Tatum shooting across the court for a dunk.

The Celtics then somehow allowed sharpshooter Cam Johnson to set up a wide-open three-pointer. They were lucky he missed it, but he picked up the rebound and was fouled. His free throws with 7.6 seconds left tied the score at 94. After a timeout, Tatum tried to create space at the right arc, but his three-pointer was off.

Each team scored on the first four possessions of overtime. After Tatum made it 105-102 with a fadeaway jumper, Dorian Finney-Smith missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the score with 1:10 to go. Brooklyn had another chance to tie with about 30 seconds left, but a scattered possession ended when Thomas double-doubled a three-pointer from the top of the key for an airball.

The Celtics got off to a sleepy start. Coach Joe Mazzulla seemed to sense it when he called a timeout just two minutes into the game, and Boston responded by turning the ball over on its next possession.

On the other end, the Nets made their first five shots. The final dart of that flurry, a three-pointer from the right corner by Finney-Smith, gave Brooklyn a 12-0 lead.

Those deficits can be wiped away in an instant, especially by teams as dangerous as the Celtics, but it wasn’t flawless.

Holiday ended the Celtics’ three-minute scoring drought, but shortly afterwards they trailed 16–2.

The Celtics did not have a memorable run in the first half, but gradually faded away. Tatum, who rarely operates in the corners and had only three 3-pointers on corners this season, matched that number in the opening quarter. He mixed quick catch-and-shoot attempts with steady looks that followed after throwing off his defender with a pump fake.

Thomas, meanwhile, continued to create offense for the Celtics, with a number of mid-range attempts that are generally frowned upon these days but were productive for him. He had twenty points in the first half.

Pritchard is usually the elixir for a low-energy environment and he fulfilled his role in the second quarter. He made all four of his shots and scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half. Near the end of the second quarter, he made a deep three-pointer from the top of the key and overpowered his defender before scoring inside.

The Celtics never took the lead in the first half, but Pritchard’s late surge helped them get within 51-49 at the break, seemingly erasing early concerns about the 14-point deficit.

White gave the Celtics a spark early in the third quarter by putting three consecutive runners in the paint, including a 3-point play. But Brooklyn continued to stifle Boston runs before they could gain momentum.

After Tatum tied the score at 62 with another corner 3-pointer, the Nets responded with a 7-0 burst. Tatum gave the Celtics life by attacking the rim in transition late in the third. He had a couple of layups, was fouled on another drive and then came up with a steal and a dunk. Still, after all this, the third quarter ended with Boston trailing, 80-78.

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.