- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 393,747
- Reaction score
- 43
The Nets fell to the Boston Celtics 115-113 on Saturday in the first game of a back-to-back set at Barclays Center. They are now in sole possession of the fifth-best NBA Draft lottery odds.
Brooklyn (22-45) has lost 11 of 13 games since the All-Star break and three in a row since upsetting the Los Angeles Lakers at home on Monday. To worsen matters, it was announced on Saturday that Cam Thomas, the team’s leading scorer, will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season because of a left hamstring strain suffered in Thursday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls.
In addition to Thomas, the Nets played without Nic Claxton (rest), Noah Clowney (right ankle sprain) and Trendon Watford (left hamstring injury management) against Boston.
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis were available for the Celtics.
The Nets trailed by just three points after one quarter, thanks in large part to Maxwell Lewis and Jalen Wilson, who scored eight and six points off the bench, respectively. Tatum played the entire first quarter for Boston and scored 11 points.
Brooklyn shot just 8-for-23 in the second quarter while the Celtics went 14-for-23, with three of their makes coming from Brown and four from Luke Kornet. The Nets trailed by as many as 21 points in the period and went into halftime facing a 63-51 deficit.
Lewis, who was acquired from the Lakers in the same trade that brought D’Angelo Russell back to Brooklyn in December, went 4-for-5 from the field in the first half and scored 10 points, reaching double figures for the first time in his NBA career. The second-year forward totaled just 10 points in 51 minutes this season with the Nets and Lakers entering the night.
“That energy, the running, the effort, I’m really proud of Max,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “We called his number, and he was ready to play… He deserves it.”
Brooklyn kept fighting out of the break, starting the third quarter on a 7-0 run to cut its deficit to five, but a barrage of 3-pointers from Tatum, Jrue Holiday and Sam Hauser quickly pushed Boston’s lead back up to 13.
The Nets still won the third quarter 30-23, which made it an 86-81 game entering the final frame. Keon Johnson scored eight points in the period and Brooklyn limited the Celtics to 39.1% shooting.
Three 3-pointers on three straight possessions from Lewis, Wilson and Cam Johnson cut it to two with 7:59 left, but Boston pushed its lead back to 11 with 2:44 left. The Nets continued to chip away and found a 9-0 burst late to make it a 112-108 game with 56.9 seconds left. Then Cam Johnson’s second 3-pointer of the night made it a one-point game with 4.5 seconds left.
Payton Pritchard split a pair of free throws with 2.9 seconds left and Brooklyn had a chance to tie or take the lead, but Cam Johnson couldn’t get a mid-court prayer off in time.
“There’s no moral victories here, but if that’s going to be our identity, a lot of good things are going to happen,” Fernandez said.
Lewis finished with a career-high 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting and went 3-for-3 from deep. Cam Johnson and Keon Johnson paced Brooklyn’s starters with 23 and 21 points, respectively.
Porzingis, in his first game back from an eight-game absence, led the Celtics with 24 points and two rebounds in 32 minutes.
While Brooklyn had a 22-2 edge in fastbreak points and made 20 3-pointers, Boston shot 52.4% for the game and dominated the paint 52-36.
The Nets will return to action on Sunday against the Atlanta Hawks.
Continue reading...
Brooklyn (22-45) has lost 11 of 13 games since the All-Star break and three in a row since upsetting the Los Angeles Lakers at home on Monday. To worsen matters, it was announced on Saturday that Cam Thomas, the team’s leading scorer, will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season because of a left hamstring strain suffered in Thursday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls.
In addition to Thomas, the Nets played without Nic Claxton (rest), Noah Clowney (right ankle sprain) and Trendon Watford (left hamstring injury management) against Boston.
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis were available for the Celtics.
The Nets trailed by just three points after one quarter, thanks in large part to Maxwell Lewis and Jalen Wilson, who scored eight and six points off the bench, respectively. Tatum played the entire first quarter for Boston and scored 11 points.
Brooklyn shot just 8-for-23 in the second quarter while the Celtics went 14-for-23, with three of their makes coming from Brown and four from Luke Kornet. The Nets trailed by as many as 21 points in the period and went into halftime facing a 63-51 deficit.
Lewis, who was acquired from the Lakers in the same trade that brought D’Angelo Russell back to Brooklyn in December, went 4-for-5 from the field in the first half and scored 10 points, reaching double figures for the first time in his NBA career. The second-year forward totaled just 10 points in 51 minutes this season with the Nets and Lakers entering the night.
“That energy, the running, the effort, I’m really proud of Max,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “We called his number, and he was ready to play… He deserves it.”
Brooklyn kept fighting out of the break, starting the third quarter on a 7-0 run to cut its deficit to five, but a barrage of 3-pointers from Tatum, Jrue Holiday and Sam Hauser quickly pushed Boston’s lead back up to 13.
The Nets still won the third quarter 30-23, which made it an 86-81 game entering the final frame. Keon Johnson scored eight points in the period and Brooklyn limited the Celtics to 39.1% shooting.
Three 3-pointers on three straight possessions from Lewis, Wilson and Cam Johnson cut it to two with 7:59 left, but Boston pushed its lead back to 11 with 2:44 left. The Nets continued to chip away and found a 9-0 burst late to make it a 112-108 game with 56.9 seconds left. Then Cam Johnson’s second 3-pointer of the night made it a one-point game with 4.5 seconds left.
Payton Pritchard split a pair of free throws with 2.9 seconds left and Brooklyn had a chance to tie or take the lead, but Cam Johnson couldn’t get a mid-court prayer off in time.
“There’s no moral victories here, but if that’s going to be our identity, a lot of good things are going to happen,” Fernandez said.
Lewis finished with a career-high 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting and went 3-for-3 from deep. Cam Johnson and Keon Johnson paced Brooklyn’s starters with 23 and 21 points, respectively.
Porzingis, in his first game back from an eight-game absence, led the Celtics with 24 points and two rebounds in 32 minutes.
While Brooklyn had a 22-2 edge in fastbreak points and made 20 3-pointers, Boston shot 52.4% for the game and dominated the paint 52-36.
The Nets will return to action on Sunday against the Atlanta Hawks.
Continue reading...
