Early Surge Wiped Away as Celtics Blast Nets at Home

The reigning champions overwhelmed Brooklyn in the second half.

Nov 13, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) loses control of the ball as Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams (1) defends during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

In their second meeting in five days, the Brooklyn Nets fell to the Boston Celtics 139-114 at home. The loss followed a similar script to Brooklyn's previous falters against the NBA's top competition, and losing Ben Simmons and Dorian Finey-Smith ahead of tip-off didn't help the Nets' chances.

"You can never, ever, ever, ever quit, or look defeated. We have to continue to do things the right way," head coach Jordi Fernandez said via Brian Lewis of the New York Post. "If the other team [is] better than you, you've got to respect it; but this is flashes of not doing the right things. It's not who we want to be."

Through 12 minutes of action, it was Boston that looked defeated.

Thanks to an 11-point opening stanza from offseason addition Ziaire Williams, Brooklyn jumped out to a 13-point advantage but allowed the Celtics to crawl back within two late in the first quarter.

The Eastern Conference rivals traded buckets throughout the second frame when Boston's star Jaylen Brown made his presence felt. Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, exploded for 13 of his 24 points before halftime. He and Jayson Tatum combined for 35 first-half points, nearly matching Williams, Dennis Schröder and Cam Thomas' joint effort themselves.

Despite superb performances by their opponent's top players, the Nets only found themselves down five at the break.

That's when Brooklyn's season-long third-quarter woes unpleasantly surfaced again.

Williams continued his strong start, adding seven more to the scoreboard on his way to his highest point total as a Net. But without the help of Thomas or Schröder, Williams' output was erased by a 15-point contribution from Tatum.

Suddenly a five-point deficit turned to 14, and things only got uglier in the fourth.

"We just let them stomp on our necks, definitely had more fight," Williams said.

Brooklyn conceded 36 points down the stretch, half of which came courtesy of Jrue Holiday and Payton Pritchard. Come the final buzzer, the Nets allowed the Celtics' lead to balloon up to 25, their most lopsided loss of the 2024-25 campaign.

The toughness and grit Brooklyn had displayed until last night was nowhere to be found. Simmons and Finney-Smith's injuries certainly played a factor, but Boston's demoralizing style of play completely overwhelmed the now 5-7 Nets.

Postgame, Fernandez didn't allow the two key absences to become the narrative behind the loss.

"Everybody deals with stuff and you don’t want to be like, finding the excuse," he said. "We have more than enough to be better than this. To me, that’s plain and simple.”

This was Brooklyn's final showing before NBA Cup play begins on Nov. 14. Tasked with a familiar face in Mikal Bridges and the New York Knicks, the Nets look to avenge last night's disappointment in. a7:30 p.m. EST matchup at Madison Square Garden.

To access the final box score from the Brooklyn Nets' loss to the Boston Celtics, click here.

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