Brooklyn, New York - The Brooklyn Nets are moving on to the second round, as they made easy work of the Boston Celtics in game five of their bad-tempered Eastern Conference first round playoff series.

The Nets and their “Big Three”, this time led by James Harden (31) were playing at a top-level, rolling to a series-clinching 123-109 win on Tuesday night. Brooklyn was in control from the early stages of the game, while Harden was locked-in, on his way to his first career playoff triple-double. Boston needed a win to stay alive, but with the series back in Brooklyn, the Nets had other ideas.

Apart from their performance leading to a win in game three, the Celtics had been playing from behind throughout the series. They jumped out to a quick lead to open the game, only to let any momentum they might’ve had slip away as the game went on. Once the Nets had a lead, the Celtics never recovered, despite keeping themselves within a single-digit lead until the third quarter.

For Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving, the time spent playing as a unit during the regular season was pretty scarce, but you’d never know it by watching this series, especially its fifth game. Together, they accounted for two-thirds of Brooklyn’s offense, coming together for 83 points. Harden finished the game leading all scorers with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, while Irving scored 25 with Durant adding 24 in the win.

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Tuesday night’s game wasn’t as much of a blowout as game four, but these three superstars did enough to keep the Celtics from any chance of a comeback.

For Boston, Jayson Tatum made a courageous effort with 32 points, and Evan Fournier led a late-game push, scoring most of his 18 points in the fourth quarter.

It's safe to say the Nets players and Celtic fans will be glad to see the back of each other. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were vocal about the abuse dished out by the Boston crowd, which extended to a water bottle being thrown at the latter.

In the end, Brooklyn had the last laugh on home court.

Brooklyn’s superstar trio will now lead their team against the Milwaukee Bucks and their three stars in Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the NBA’s reigning two-time MVP.

Durant, Harden, and Irving have all played before against Antetokounmpo, but never as teammates in Brooklyn. In their absences, Giannis averaged just under 40 points per game against the Nets, but this time around should prove to be at least a little different.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals gets under way on Saturday, from Brooklyn.