Celtics vs. Nets Overreactions: Did Robert Williams, Romeo Langford earn more minutes?

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The Brooklyn Nets had no answer for the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night as the C's cruised to a 149-115 victory.

Jaylen Brown led the way with 21 points, and the Celtics got plenty of scoring from the rest of their lineup as well. Jayson Tatum scored 19 (5-for-8 from 3-point range) after being benched for most of the first half due to foul trouble. Gordon Hayward dropped 18, and the bench made the most of its opportunities with standout performances from Robert Williams and Romeo Langford.

Don't miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Celtics-Raptors, which begins Friday at 8 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live followed by tip-off at 9 p.m. You can also stream the game on the MyTeams App.

Here are a few instant overreactions from the C's dominant victory, which improves their regular-season record to 45-23.

1. Robert Williams has earned more minutes.

Verdict: Not an overreaction

As great as Brown, Tatum and Hayward played, Timelord was the story in this one.

The second-year big man showed why he should get more playing time heading into the postseason. Williams dropped 18 points in 19 minutes off the bench while throwing down some vicious alley-oops. He also added five rebounds and three blocks.

Williams adds a whole new dimension to a Celtics team that has been missing his kind of presence, especially up to this point in the Orlando bubble. The real test will come in Friday's game vs. the second-place Toronto Raptors, but man, he was a blast to watch on Wednesday.

Celtics Talk Podcast: Have Williams & Langford earned more trust? | Listen & subscribe | Watch on YouTube

2. Romeo Langford can make a difference down the stretch.

Verdict: Not an overreaction

Langford got a boost in playing time with Kemba Walker out, and the rookie made the most of his opportunity.

The box score for this game doesn't do Langford justice for his performance. The 20-year-old made his presence felt with lockdown defense, which is something the Celtics have been lacking through the first few games of the NBA restart.

Sure, it came against the Nets, but Langford's encouraging outing should lead to an increase in minutes especially when Boston needs a defensive boost. In addition to Marcus Smart, Langford can be the pest the C's need in the backcourt when going up against the league's top scorers.

Like we said about Williams, though, he'll have to prove he can get the job done vs. a team of Toronto's caliber.

3. This is what the Celtics offense is capable of going forward.

Verdict: Overreaction

Let's be realistic -- we shouldn't expect the Celtics to start scoring 130-140 points per game, even when Kemba Walker returns to his regular workload.

The Nets had zero interest in even pretending to play defense in this game. This isn't to say what the C's did offensively wasn't extremely encouraging, but we should temper expectations for Friday night's matchup against the Raptors and for future games against championship-caliber teams.

That being said... wow, that was fun.

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