ROOKIE BAYLOR SCHEIERMAN came off the bench to toss in a career-high 20 points and Kristaps Porzingis finished with a team-high 25 to help the short-handed Boston Celtics defeat the visiting Brooklyn Nets 104-96 on Tuesday.

Scheierman made 7 of 8 shots from the field, including 6 of 7 attempts from 3-point territory. The six treys were also a career best. Porzingis collected a game-high 13 rebounds and blocked three shots.

Boston (50-19) had a 98-88 lead — the first double-digit margin for either team — following a Porzingis basket with 1:37 remaining. Brooklyn (23-46) trimmed its deficit to four points on a Ziaire Williams 3-pointer with 47.4 seconds left, but the Celtics led 102-96 after a Porzingis dunk with 38.6 seconds to play.

Derrick White (18 points), Jrue Holiday (12) and Payton Pritchard (10) also scored in double figures for Boston, which was without Jayson Tatum (knee) and Jaylen Brown (knee). Tatum leads the team in scoring (27.1), rebounding (8.7) and assists (5.9). Brown is averaging 22.8 points per game.

D’Angelo Russell led Brooklyn with 18 points. Williams scored 15. — Reuters

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