Whereas the trouble might not be translating into constant wins but, it’s clear the Nets are enhancing. Tuesday’s matchup towards the Boston Celtics marked the fourth straight sport the place Brooklyn’s competitiveness was by no means doubtful. However after nearly 40 minutes of buying and selling blows inside Barclays Middle, Boston’s poise confirmed. The Celtics closed sturdy for a 113-99 win, sending the Nets to 2-12 regardless of Sunday’s excessive from beating Washington.
What made the collapse harder to abdomen was how effectively the Nets performed for a lot of the night time.
“I wasn’t happy with the way we were competing a few games ago,” head coach Jordi Fernández stated. “And now, for four straight games, we’ve played a respectable brand of basketball, a competitive brand of basketball.”
Brooklyn got here out firing, drilling 4 of its first 5 3s and blitzing Boston with an 18-9 burst that had Barclays Middle rocking. The Nets pushed the tempo early, going 5-for-10 from deep and steamrolling the Celtics in transition with a 13-0 edge whereas constructing a lead that grew to 10. However the early cushion didn’t maintain. As Brooklyn cooled, Boston stored scoring, capturing 52.6% within the opening body. Payton Pritchard carved up the Nets for 11 fast factors, dragging the sport again to a 29-all tie after one.
The second quarter stored the identical depth. Michael Porter Jr. and Anfernee Simons traded buckets as each offenses maintained their rhythm, however Boston discovered just a bit extra separation. The Celtics hit 12-of-17 pictures within the interval and knocked down two extra 3s than Brooklyn, sufficient to nudge them into halftime with a one-point lead regardless of the Nets capturing a robust 10-for-17.
And but, even whereas trailing, Brooklyn turned the primary half right into a monitor meet. The Nets racked up 22 fast-break factors, tied for his or her sixth most in any half since monitoring started in 1997-98, sparked by 12 pressured turnovers that stored Boston scrambling. Porter poured in 18 factors earlier than the break, whereas rookie Egor Demin caught fireplace, drilling all 4 of his 3s in his first quarter-hour to turn into the primary Nets rookie since Rodions Kurucs to hit 4 triples and not using a miss in a half. With Demin navigating strain, organizing units and preserving the offense composed, Brooklyn shot a season-best 50% from deep in a half and punished almost each Celtic mistake.
“We just keep working on the same thing every day,” Day’Ron Sharpe stated. “Coach keeps preaching to us sticking to the plan, keep working at it and buying into what they’re trying to get us to do… We have to learn how to do it for 48 minutes.”
However the identical third-quarter points which have dragged the Nets all season resurfaced when Boston opened the interval on a 13-4 run, pushing forward 75-65 with 7:28 left and forcing a Brooklyn timeout. Once more, the lead didn’t final. The Nets clawed again with sharp protection, holding Boston to 38.9% capturing and forcing 5 extra turnovers, trimming the margin to 4 heading into the fourth quarter.
A Porter 3-pointer briefly put the Nets again in entrance with 9:08 remaining, however Boston instantly answered with an 8-0 run that rebuilt a seven-point cushion in a flash. Brooklyn by no means led once more because the Celtics stretched the margin to double figures and stayed in management. Rookies Demin, Drake Powell, Nolan Traore and Danny Wolf completed the night time as Fernández emptied his bench.
“We have a young team and we’re newly playing together, and I think [the Celtics] have been in so many situations in the fourth quarter as a group that they kind of knew how to execute down the stretch and we’re still figuring that out,” Porter stated.
Regardless of capturing simply 40.2% for the sport, the Nets turned in one among their stronger defensive efforts, ending with a season-high 12 steals. Porter led Brooklyn with 25 factors, six rebounds and two assists, whereas Sharpe offered a elevate off the bench with 16 factors and 7 rebounds.
Jaylen Brown paced Boston with 29 factors, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
The Nets received’t have to attend lengthy for one more shot on the Celtics. The groups meet once more Friday at TD Backyard.
