New York: Jared Sullinger had 21 points and 19 rebounds to help the Boston Celtics beat the Brookyln Nets 95-90 in an experimental 44-minute game on Sunday.
Jeff Green added 14 points for Boston (4-3).
Backup point guard Jarrett Jack and reserve centre Jerome Jordan each had 17 points for the Nets (2-1).
The idea of a shortened game arose during the NBA coaches’ off-season meeting as a way to analyse and compare the flow of the game with that of the league-standard 48 minutes.
While an average game takes 2 hours, 15 minutes, this game took 1 hour, 58 minutes. Instead of the customary 12-minute quarters, it featured four 11-minute periods along with a reduction of mandatory timeouts from three to two during the second and fourth quarters.
The opening quarter was played in 19 minutes, the second in 29 minutes, and the third and fourth in 25 minutes each.
Brooklyn power forward Kevin Garnett sat out against his former team because of a stomach virus.
