For the first time since bolting Boston for Brooklyn, Kyrie Irving made his return to TD Garden in a game that counts. Then he reminded the Celtics what they were missing, leading the Nets to a dominating 123-95 victory on Friday.

Irving tormented his former employer with a game-high 37 points, the most any Net had ever scored on Christmas Day. And while he insisted there wasn’t any added incentive playing his old team after his highly scrutinized exit, Irving said he’s just thankful to be healthy and happy with his red-hot new team.

“No, I’m just grateful that we’re all healthy and we’re all here to be able to play the game that we love,” Irving said. “Obviously, competing against those guys, competing against the coaches that I had almost a year and a half ago, I’m grateful. We’re going to continue to see them, we’re in the same division. So, to get us started here in Boston, nothing added.”

The Nets (2-0) are the first team since the 2008-09 Lakers to win their first two games by 20 points each. The scary part for the rest of the East is their defense held Boston to 37.8 percent shooting and 29.6 percent from deep, while their offense is still jelling.

Irving had eight assists, six rebounds and hit 7 of 10 from deep in only his second game since Feb. 1 due to shoulder surgery. Kevin Durant added 29 points on 9 of 16 shooting in his second game back from a June 2019 Achilles rupture. The two led Brooklyn in turning a third-quarter deficit into an all-out rout.

“The game got away from us there in the start of the fourth and they poured it on. That’s the thing: They’re very capable of pouring it on,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “I think it’s the deepest team in the NBA and quite possibly — certainly in the conversation for — the best.”

The Nets sure looked the part.

Coach Steve Nash had said he wanted to see the Nets tested, hit in the mouth. Down 54-51 at the half, they outscored Boston 72-41 the rest of the way — including 37-18 in the final period. Jaylen Brown admitted Durant and Irving’s shotmaking threw the Celtics off.

“In general as a group it definitely maybe had a little bit of an effect on us,” Brown said. “It’s the second game of the season and we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”

Irving and Durant each had 20 points in the second half, shooting 15 of 21 overall and 6 of 7 from behind the arc. The Celtics only managed one more point as a team in the second half than the Nets’ dominant duo.

“It was more of a jab. We were great,” said Nash, who admitted Boston’s physicality bogged down their offense early.

“We adjusted. We turned it over, we gave up offensive rebounds in the first half. In the second half we didn’t turn it over, didn’t give up as many offensive rebounds. It was down to just competing, wanting it, and trying to match their physicality.”

Once they matched Boston’s fight, talent took over. Down 61-60 after a Brown floater, Brooklyn hit six straight to seize control with an 11-2 run.

Durant’s 28-foot pull-up gave Brooklyn a 71-63 cushion with 6:35 left in the third quarter. The Nets padded it from there, behind Durant, Irving and the defense.

“We just settled in, let the game come to us, and just fought back, which is about matching their physicality and doing what it took to get the [win],” Irving said.

Brooklyn kept building on the lead in the fourth quarter.

Irving hit a 3 to push it to 111-90 with 3:44 to play, and another off a Durant assist to make it 116-92. The clock read 2:39 left, but the game had long since been over.

“Boston came out, they punched us in the mouth early,” Joe Harris said. “They played physical, they mixed up their defensive coverages and it took us a little time to match their intensity and then supersede it.”