The Celtics have, at times against certain matchups, struggled without Kristaps Porzingis. The offense has a tendency to bog down, the pace slows, and the lack of another option can be apparent. Their championship hopes certainly hinge on the availability of their big man.

But even against an easier matchup, the Celtics produced an encouraging performance Tuesday night without Porzingis. And sometimes, it’s as simple as Jayson Tatum being the best player on the floor.

Tatum scored 41 points – his third 40-point effort of the season – to go along with 14 rebounds and five assists as the Celtics handled the Nets on the first night of a back-to-back with a 118-110 victory in Brooklyn. Tatum scored 31 in the first half, which matched his career high for points in the first half, and the Celtics led by as many as 23 in the third quarter before needing to hold on late against the feisty Nets.

Mikal Bridges scored 27 points and Cam Thomas scored 26 points for the Nets, who clawed back and took advantage of the Celtics committing 11 second-half turnovers to cut their deficit from 23 to six late in the fourth quarter. But when things got tight, the Celtics made enough plays down the stretch. Derrick White drilled a 3-pointer with 2:24 to go to restore their lead to nine, and after Bridges answered with a triple, Tatum’s layup and ensuing block on Thomas essentially sealed the victory.

All five Celtics started finished in double-figure scoring, as Al Horford stepped in for Porzingis with 16 points and Jrue Holiday added 14 points with 12 assists. The Celtics, even without Porzingis, were balanced throughout the night and kept the ball moving with 31 assists for 43 made field goals.