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Williams, Nets down Celtics

Dec 11, 2013 - 3:46 AM Brooklyn, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Deron Williams returned from a nine-game absence and scored a season-high 25 points to go with seven assists, as the Brooklyn Nets edged the Boston Celtics, 104-96, on Tuesday at Barclays Center.

Brook Lopez added 24 points, while Alan Anderson scored 15 on 6-of-7 shooting for the Nets, who snapped a six-game home losing skid and notched back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

"He's a guy who can put pressure with a single fast break," Nets head coach Jason Kidd said of Williams. "Just his presence gave everybody a lift."

Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, playing against their former team for the first time, tallied 11 and four points, respectively, in the win.

"It's different," Garnett said of facing the Celtics. "But no matter who's playing on that team, I'll always have an affiliation with that."

Avery Bradley led a balanced Boston scoring attack with 22 points, while Jeff Green registered 19 points and six rebounds for the Celtics, who had a three- game win streak halted.

With the game tied 60-60 following a Jared Sullinger 3-pointer early in the third, Williams bookended a 10-0 Brooklyn surge with a pair of buckets to put the Nets on top for good.

Green's jumper shortly after got Boston within eight, but Lopez countered with consecutive buckets, sparking an 11-2 spurt that Pierce capped with two free throws that gave Boston an 85-68 lead with 1:14 left in the quarter.

Green got the Celtics within eight again early in the fourth with a 3-pointer, but Williams answered with five straight points to restore Brooklyn's double- digit spread.

A Jordan Crawford layup followed by a Brandon Bass three-point play brought Boston within 96-91 with 1:53 remaining, but Brooklyn buried just enough free throws down the stretch to hang on for the victory.

"We still had a chance," Green said. "We battled ourselves back and had a chance at the end of the game but (ran out of gas)."

Early on, Boston grabbed an 18-15 edge on Crawford's trey with 5:42 left in the first, but Brooklyn closed the frame on a 16-2 surge that Anderson capped with five straight points to make it 31-20 Nets after 12 minutes.

Bradley netted 12 points in the second stanza and helped Boston get within two late in the half before the Nets closed the frame on a 9-2 swing to take a 56-47 advantage at halftime.

Game Notes

Pierce spent his first 15 seasons in Boston, while Garnett had spent the last six seasons with the Celtics before both players signed with Brooklyn in the offseason ... Williams had been sidelined with ankle injuries ... Brooklyn shot a season-high 55.7 percent (39-of-70) from the floor ... Boston scored 24 points off 15 Brooklyn turnovers.