**Celtics Overcome Nets in Overtime Thriller at TD Garden**

The Boston Celtics successfully bounced back from their recent narrow loss to the Golden State Warriors by edging out the Brooklyn Nets in an overtime bout at TD Garden on Friday night. Despite missing key player Jaylen Brown, the Celtics managed a hard-fought 108-104 victory, overcoming an early deficit and intense competition from Brooklyn.

Jayson Tatum was the standout performer for Boston, leading all scorers with 33 points, adding nine rebounds and six assists. His game-defining moment came in the closing seconds of regulation when he delivered a powerful dunk over Brooklyn center Nic Claxton, giving the Celtics a 94-92 lead. Tatum continued to shine in overtime, assisting Al Horford on a critical go-ahead 3-pointer and sinking a clutch turn-around shot on the next possession.

Brooklyn's Cam Thomas kept the Nets in the game with a team-high 31 points, shooting 11-for-22 from the field and 4-for-9 from beyond the arc. His confident performance highlighted his potential to compete with any team in the league.

Veteran guard Jrue Holiday also played a crucial role for Boston, contributing 17 points and five assists. Despite a slow start and struggling from 3-point range, Holiday used his experience and physicality to make timely plays, helping to steer the Celtics to victory in the latter stages of the game.

The Celtics faced a rough start, allowing Brooklyn to sprint to a 9-0 lead, which extended to 12-0 before Boston got on the scoreboard. Head coach Joe Mazzulla's early timeout helped regroup the team, and they closed the first quarter trailing only by four points at 28-24.

Mazzulla's decision to give Tillman a start did not go as planned, as the backup struggled in his early minutes. Tillman went scoreless, missing all three of his shot attempts and failing to register any rebounds, assists, or blocks, ending with a minus-14 rating.

On Brooklyn's side, Ben Simmons, coming off the bench, showed flashes of his capabilities but also highlighted his ongoing struggles. In 21 minutes, Simmons scored eight points on efficient 4-of-5 shooting, coupled with five rebounds and seven assists. However, his three turnovers were a setback, sharing the team's highest miscue count.

This win elevates the Celtics' record to 8-2 in the season and marks their improvement to 1-1 in overtime games. The victory also underscores Boston's resilience and depth, able to secure a win despite the absence of one of their key players.