Inside The Celtics

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Nets: Boston Backslides at a Time It Needs to Tighten Up

Nets outscore Celtics 100-68 in final three frames, erasing a 28-point deficit.

Bobby Krivitsky

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
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The Celtics built a 37-15 lead entering the second quarter and appeared headed for a decisive victory over a Nets team that still hadn't meshed since reconfiguring its roster at the trade deadline.

But in the latest reminder that no lead is safe in today's NBA, Brooklyn proceeded to outscore the hosts 100-68 in the final three frames.

The Nets switching more led to Boston committing 19 turnovers, translating to 21 points for the visitors.

Former Suns Mikal Bridges scoring a game-high 38 points and Cameron Johnson producing 20, combining for 58, didn't help either.

But the most concerning aspect of Friday's defeat was the Celtics losing focus, which opened the door for Brooklyn's comeback and came into question at times after they got down.

Now, a deep dive into what stood out in each quarter of Boston's 115-105 loss to the Nets.

Like Their Last Meeting, the First Frame is a Blowout

The Celtics jumped out to a 13-3 advantage against the cold-shooting Nets, who started the game 1-8 from the field with two turnovers and five fouls.

Seven of Boston's first 13 points came from the free-throw line on perfect shooting from the stripe.

Jaylen Brown extended the hosts' lead to 18-5 on a vicious transition jam after a missed free throw by Spencer Dinwiddie.

As the Celtics continued pulling away in the opening frame, tic-tac-toe style passing led to an entry pass from Marcus Smart to Al Horford, who snapped the ball to Sam Hauser for a corner three. That put the home team ahead 26-7 at the 4:18 mark.

Good ball movement produced another three two possessions later, as Horford, with three defenders surrounding him at the rim, kicked it out to Brown, who quickly swung it to Hauser, who moved it to Smart, who banked in an open look from above the break, pointing to the heavens as he made his way down the court.

After 12 minutes, Boston built a 37-15 advantage. While that's not as bad as Brooklyn trailing 46-16 after the opening period the last time the Nets were at TD Garden, it represents another lopsided start, something their head coach, Jacque Vaughn, explicitly said they had to avoid in his pregame media availability.

Brown, the only player in double-figures, led all scorers with 11 points. Smart scored six and paced all participants with three assists.

Jayson Tatum had four points and grabbed six rebounds. The latter was a game-high in the first 12 minutes.

The hosts also got eight points off the bench from Derrick White, who consistently pushed the pace and got into the paint against a Brooklyn defense that failed to provide much resistance.

White went 4/5 from the field with all his makes occurring inside the painted area; three were in the restricted area.

Celtics Pay the Price for Losing Focus in the Second Quarter

The Celtics built on that momentum in the initial stages of the second quarter, as Brown went through Cameron Johnson's chest, sending the latter to the hardwood as the ball bounced through the net. He couldn't convert it into an old-school three-point play, but the bucket put Boston ahead 51-23.

Also making an impact at the defensive end, Brown stabbed at the ball as Nic Claxton came down in transition, knocking it free, leading to a Tatum flush at the other end.

But the Nets tightened up defensively, coinciding with the Celtics losing focus, resulting in a 13-2 run by the visitors. That included a pair of threes by Dorian Finney-Smith and Mikal Bridges.

Seth Curry stripped the ball from Tatum and took it in for a layup, and a missed pull-up jumper by Smart turned into Royce O'Neale leaking out for a layup as he got fouled by Robert Williams. O'Neale tacked on the free throw, narrowing the gap to 60-49 with 1:09 left in the first half.

Brooklyn finished the second frame with a 6-0 burst, including an alley-oop to Finney-Smith, open at the basket, as the buzzer blew, cutting Boston's lead to 64-55 at the break.

The Nets staged a 21-8 run in the final 3:30.

Bridges matched Brown for a game-high 21 points after 24 minutes. O'Neale chipped in ten off the bench for the visitors.

Tatum put 14 on the board, grabbed nine rebounds, and dished out three assists. Smart scored eight and led all participants with six assists.

But the Celtics sorely missed Malcolm Brogdon in the second quarter, not getting to the basket as much in a period their second unit contributed only three points. Brooklyn got 14 from its bench.

Nets Play Like a Team That Wants This Game More in the Third Frame

At the 8:07 mark, after Smart stuck his nose in, going for a steal, only to take an elbow from Finney-Smith, which went uncalled.

Smart subbed out and had some choice words for the baseline official, earning him a technical.

That raised the Celtics' energy, though, as on Boston's following possession, Tatum got into the paint and lofted a lob to the Timelord. After that, Williams sent Finney-Smith packing, thwarting his layup attempt.

But Cameron Johnson tied the game at 70, burying a three from the right slot with 6:45 to play in the period. At that point, Brooklyn was 3/4 from beyond the arc.

The Nets knocking down threes while the hosts were 0/3 and committed two turnovers were significant factors in the Celtics getting outscored 15-6 at that juncture in the frame.

Brooklyn was also outhustling the hosts, winning 50/50 balls and creating extra possessions, like when Luke Kornet's trying to fend off Nic Claxton to secure a defensive rebound resulted in Kornet not corralling the miss as the ball bounced off him out of bounds.

Needing an infusion of energy, Joe Mazzulla brought Payton Pritchard off the bench. The move drew a pop from the TD Garden faithful, cheering for an individual who has spent much of the season on the pine.

But Boston countered a 6-0 Nets run with a 4-0 burst, including Brown slicing his way into the paint for an emphatic one-handed jam, bringing the hosts within four, 82-78, with 2:59 to play in the period.

In a wild sequence where Brooklyn got five chances, in part because of Pritchard getting pulled back by Finney-Smith as he went to retrieve the first miss, something that went uncalled much to the dismay of the Celtics' bench, who it happened in front of, Mike Muscala blocked O'Neale at the rim, leading to a White layup that trimmed the gap to 89-84 with 37 seconds left.

That remained the score entering the final frame.

If Boston is to avoid what would be a brutal loss after getting off to a great start, it will have to do so without Robert Williams, out for the rest of the game due to left hamstring tightness.

The hosts outscored their guests 16-10 in the paint, but six turnovers translated to an 8-0 advantage in points off giveaways against a Nets team that didn't pay for either of its two fumbled possessions.

Celtics Never Truly Threaten to Erase the Nets' Lead in the Final Frame

As Cameron Johnson cleaned up a Curry miss while getting fouled, putting Brooklyn ahead 98-88, its first double-digit lead of the night, the thought entered this author's mind that this game resembles how the Celtics looked before their mid-season turnaround a year ago, where focus and maintaining leads were significant issues.

For focus to be an issue at a time when Boston needs to tighten up in the final stretch of the regular season is perplexing and requires addressing immediately.

When Bridges and Spencer Dinwiddie drilled consecutive threes, the latter's putting Brooklyn ahead 106-90, with 6:54 remaining, it represented a 44-point swing from the time of the Celtics' most sizable lead.

But Boston struck back with a 6-2 run entirely comprised of points at the rim by Tatum and Brown, including a layup by the latter, cutting the deficit to 108-96 with 4:44 on the game clock.

But any chance of salvaging a win went up in smoke as Horford and Tatum missed layups, and Finney-Smith drilled a three that put the Nets ahead 113-102 with 2:23 left.

There was enough time remaining, but Boston wasn't playing well enough to suggest a rally was coming.

The Celtics put three more points on the board the rest of the game, falling 115-105.

Up Next

The Celtics host the Knicks Sunday night. That game tips off at 7:30 pm EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game before, during, and afterward. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

Further Reading

Jayson Tatum on Load Management: 'I Just Think About the Young Kid, the Kid Inside Me from St. Louis That Dreamed About Being in the NBA'

Joe Mazzulla Speaks on Decision to Bench Grant Williams

Joe Mazzulla Discusses How Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown Set the Tone for the Celtics in Win Over Cavaliers

Jayson Tatum Shares the Keys to His 41-Point Performance in Celtics Win vs. Cavaliers

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Cavaliers: Jayson Tatum's 41-Point Performance Propels Boston to Bounce-Back Victory

A Top Celtics Free-Agent Target Signs Elsewhere, Where Does Boston Go from Here?

Jayson Tatum Unveils Jordan Tatum 1's

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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