Kemba Walker on Wednesday scored 39 points in his first game back after leaving the court on a stretcher, with his neck in a brace.
It was almost enough to make the Boston fans forget about the player he replaced, but not quite.
On a night the fans seemed more interested in taunting former Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving, Walker returned to score a season high and lead Boston to a 121-110 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
Photo: AP
“I’ve been over it. I could have played last game, honestly,” Walker said. “If I’m on the court, I’m on the court. I wasn’t thinking about anything [but] wanting to win.”
Walker left Boston’s game against Denver on Friday last week after a head-to-torso collision with Semi Ojeleye and missed Monday’s game against Sacramento.
He played 31 minutes on Wednesday, adding six rebounds and four assists. He scored 13 in the third quarter, when the Celtics scored nine in a row to turn a one-point deficit into a 91-83 lead they never relinquished.
Sometimes head-first collisions can be serious, even though they do not look all that bad, and sometimes the ones that look bad turn out to be minor, Celtics coach Brad Stevens said.
“For him to be playing, and even feeling fresh, five days later is very fortunate,” Stevens said. “It’s good to see.”
Jaylen Brown added 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Jayson Tatum had 16 points and nine boards for the Celtics, who improved to 7-0 at home.
Garrett Temple scored 22 points and Joe Harris had 21 for Brooklyn, who made a season-high 21 of the 56 three-point shots they attempted. Jarrett Allen had 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Spencer Dinwiddie had 16 points and 11 assists.
However, the biggest name for the Nets — at least as far as the Boston fans were concerned — was Irving, who has missed the past seven games with a sore shoulder. The crowd showed up to heckle him, even in his absence.
Posters branding him as a coward decorated the arena entrance. A few fans showed up wearing his No. 11 Celtics jersey with the words “Where is?” written on tape above his name.
During the introductions, with Irving nowhere to be seen, the first “Kyrie sucks!” chant broke out; it was repeated about a dozen times throughout the game. There was also a “Yankees suck!” chant, just because.
“I don’t give a second thought,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Just tune it out.”
About an hour after the game ended, Irving posted a long Instagram story calling sports and entertainment “ignorant and obtrusive.”
“It’s one big show that means very VERY little in the real world that most people live in,” Irving said before concluding with: “Don’t fall for the Game that’s played in front of you for Entertainment, it’ll never be as serious dealing with LIFE.”
The Nets, like the Celtics before them, are doing better without him.
They came into the night with a 5-1 record since Irving went out with a sore shoulder, climbing above .500 for the first time this season. The Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference finals two years ago when Irving was injured and lost in the second round last season with him.
In other results, it was:
‧ Lakers 114, Pelicans 110
‧ Rockets 117, Heat 108
‧ 76ers 97, Kings 91
‧ Bucks 111, Hawks 102
‧ Clippers 121, Grizzlies 119
‧ Trail Blazers 136, Thunder 119
‧ Raptors 126, Knicks 98
‧ Pacers 121, Jazz 102
‧ Wizards 140, Suns 132
‧ Hornets 102, Pistons 101
‧ Timberwolves 113, Spurs 101
‧ Magic 116, Cavaliers 104
‧ Warriors 104, Bulls 90
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