NEW YORK -- Al Horford is just six games into his stint with his new team, but already teammates and his coach are raving about his consistency and other positive traits.

Such as, during timeouts, urging the Boston Celtics to make the extra passes, then following up on it.

Horford delivered another consistent showing Wednesday night when he collected 17 points, eight assists and five rebounds as the Celtics pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 111-92 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

"Al can score the ball, but it's all the little things that he does and how he gets the ball moving," Boston guard Avery Bradley said. "It's so contagious. Like during the timeouts, he's telling guys like, 'We need to move the ball'.

"He's a leader. He speaks up and he really helps our team with that because sometimes the ball sticks, and for Al to step up and say something and for us to actually go out and move the ball again, it starts with him and it means a lot."

The Celtics improved to 3-0 since Horford returned from missing nine games with a concussion. The first win was Saturday in Detroit when Horford hit the game-winner with 1.3 seconds left. He then had 20 points when the Celtics rallied from 15 down in Minnesota on Monday.

Boston did not have to rally Wednesday as it never trailed after taking three 17-point leads in the first half. However, the Celtics had to weather a Brooklyn comeback, and Horford was there to make the big plays.

"That takes some real stuff to be the guy that stops runs, that's a good thing," Boston coach Brad Stevens said of Horford, who signed a four-year deal after spending his first nine seasons with the Atlanta Hawks.

Among those shots were a 22-footer and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions late in the first half when the Nets were within two and another 3-pointer after the Nets tied the game in the third. Horford then scored eight points when the Celtics extended a 51-49 lead to 79-66, and he helped the Celtics finish it off by passing out a double team to Jae Crowder, who hit a 3-pointer to give Boston a 95-84 lead with about six minutes remaining.

"I think the biggest thing, the thing that you learn about people when you're around them longer is the plays they make in games, but his consistency as a pro has been the best part about adding Al Horford to our team," Stevens said. "Then the impact on the game is obvious."

Horford also added two blocks, giving him three straight games with at least 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and two blocks. The last Celtic to do so was Hall of Famer Larry Bird in 1990.

"I've said it before, when we play that way, that's when we're at our best," Horford said. "I think everybody has more fun, and there are nights that we can do it the other way, but when we've moving it like that, we can be special."

The Celtics improved to 5-1 with Horford in the lineup, finishing the game on Bradley's tip-in and uncontested 3-pointers by Isaiah Thomas and Crowder in span of 29 seconds with about four minutes remaining.

Thomas led the Celtics with 23 points and reached 20 points for the 14th time in 15 games. Bradley added 22, seven rebounds and five steals as the Celtics shot 45.9 percent and closed the game out with a 19-8 run.

Being unable to complete the comeback and stop the Celtics sent the Nets (4-10) to their fifth straight loss. Four of those defeats were by double digits as Brooklyn started off by missing 16 of its first 22 shots. The Nets hit 39.5 percent from the floor overall.

"Al Horford, he's a big-time vet," Brooklyn rookie point guard Isaiah Whitehead said. "So I think they really just picked us apart on defense and really ran their stuff."

Reserve Sean Kilpatrick scored 19 of his 23 in the second half to keep the Nets within striking distance. Trevor Booker added 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Bojan Bogdanovic had 14 points. Brook Lopez was held to 13 as the center missed 10 of 14 shots and 5 of 6 3-point attempts.

"I think our defense dropped a little bit, but they hit some big shots and it just got away from us," Lopez said.

NOTES: Nets G Isaiah Whitehead had X-rays on his left hand after getting elbowed by Boston C Al Horford. Those tests were negative, and Whitehead said he should be fine. ... Brooklyn F Rondae Hollis-Jefferson left the game with a sore right ankle and had X-rays, which were negative. ... Boston F Jae Crowder was in the starting lineup with his usual minutes restriction, and he scored 15 points. He did not play the final 16 minutes of Monday's win in Minnesota because of left ankle pain. ... Brooklyn G Jeremy Lin (left hamstring strain) missed his ninth straight game. The Nets did not have an update on when Lin could return. Coach Kenny Atkinson reiterated, "No specific time, just progressing as scheduled."