The Boston Celtics fell to the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night by a final score of 121-109. This game was tightly contested for most of the duration, unfortunately Kyrie Irving and the Nets used a late fourth quarter surge to propel them to victory.
Celtics:
The Celtics were in this game for the entire duration. offense was not a problem for the C’s scoring a total of 121 points. Unfortunately the Celtics could not stop the high powered offense of the Nets. Although the Celtics lost this game, they played with a lot more energy and heart with Marcus Smart back in the lineup. It provided the Celtics with much needed defensive intensity and Veteran leadership.
It also provided the Celtics with a much needed play maker back in the lineup. They got plenty of scoring as five players score double figures. Leading the way for them was Jayson Tatum with 31 points and 13-22 shooting, Daniel Theis added 17 points on 7-10 shooting with 8 rebounds. Kemba Walker had 11 points on 5-12 shooting, while Jaylen Brown had 13 points on 5-23 shooting.
As terms as bench scoring, Marcus Smart led the way with 19 points on 4-6 shooting in his return to the court. This was a winnable game for the Celtics they stayed with the Nets starters, but the lack of bench depth would hunt Boston. They fall to 19-18 on the season.
Nets:
Brooklyn, a team that has been one of the hottest teams in the league as of late, they played some great basketball. They displayed great ball moment and they got all the loose balls and hustle plays. There offensive attack would carry the load for the Nets. On the defensive end for the Nets, they struggled as the Celtics hit tough shots and created great offense down the stretch.
The Nets had five players score in double figures. Leading the way for the Nets was Kyrie Irving with 40 points on 15-23 shooting against his former foes. While James Harden added 22 points on 6-16 shooting. Joe Harris went 4-10 shooting with 12 points as well.
For the Bench they stepped up in a huge way for the Nets. Leading the way was Landry Shamet with 18 points on 6-12 shooting.
This was a great win for the Nets against a hot Celtics team. The Nets offensive juggernaut was too much for Boston to handle. The Nets improve to 25-13 on the season.
Takeaways/final thoughts
- The Celtics looked much more connected on the defensive end
- Having another play maker was a great boost for the Celtics
- Jayson Tatum was fantastic
- The Celtics biggest need heading into the trade deadline is bench scoring.
- Rob Williams played great defense with 6 blocks.
The Celtics look to get back to there winning ways as they travel to Houston and play against the Rockets at 8:00 PM EST on Sunday night.