The Boston Celtics suffered their first dwelling lack of the 2024-25 season on Wednesday night time, and returned to the court docket on Friday on the lookout for an opportunity at redemption in opposition to the Brooklyn Nets. Although it didn’t look fairly as good as they could have preferred, they received the job executed; they survived a poor offensive night time to outlast the Nets in additional time, 108-104.
With Jaylen Brown once more sidelined because of harm, Jayson Tatum as soon as once more carried a heavy load. He led the Celtics with 33 factors on 11-of-25 capturing for the night time, and with the Boston offense in any other case struggling by means of an uncharacteristically quiet night time, the Celtics wanted each level. Jrue Vacation was his most dependable co-star, scoring 17 factors, however as a staff, the Celtics shot simply 26% from three-point vary.
Payton Pritchard was the one different Celtic who appeared like he may make a shot, scoring 20 on 6-of-11 capturing from the sector. For the Nets, Cam Thomas led the best way with 31 factors on 11-of-22 capturing. Cam Johnson added 18 factors, and an elusive look from Ben Simmons yielded 8 factors, 7 rebounds and eight assists.
It was an exceptionally scorching begin for the surprisingly aggressive Nets, as they raced out to an early 12-0 lead within the opening minutes and prompted a timeout from a consternated Joe Mazzulla. Three full minutes handed earlier than the Celtics recorded their first made subject objective, and the opportunistic Brooklyn protection compelled them into a large number of errors. It was one other three minutes earlier than the Celtics scored their second basket, after the Nets had run their benefit as much as 14 factors. Fortunately, Vacation’s second layup appeared to place a pep within the Celtics’ step; he recorded seven first quarter factors and Tatum linked on a trio of three-pointers, and Boston escaped the quarter trailing by simply 4 factors, 28-24.
Tatum ended the primary quarter on a private 8-0 run to pull the Celtics again into this sport, however the momentum he created offensively didn’t seem to hold over into his customary relaxation minutes at the beginning of the second quarter. The Boston offense once more went quiet, however this time, the protection held the Nets in examine as properly. It was sufficient to maintain issues regular till Tatum returned, sustaining the deficit within the single digits. Upon Tatum’s return, he promptly cashed in on his fourth triple of the night time, and Pritchard added a flurry of scoring (14 first-half factors). In the end, the Celtics trimmed two factors off the Brooklyn lead within the quarter, coming into the halftime break behind 51-49.
As play resumed within the second half, the Celtics lastly managed to tie the sport for the primary time of the night, knotting up the rating at 54 only a couple minutes into the third quarter. They claimed their first lead simply moments later, as Al Horford cashed in a three-pointer to place them forward by one. The Nets rapidly responded, in what was probably the most high-octane sequences of basketball of the night time — high-level shot-making on show from each groups.
Tatum continued to be the tide that raised all ships because the third quarter wore on. He adopted up his 8-0 run from the primary quarter with a 10-2 private run within the third, dragging the Celtics inside one level of the lead as soon as once more. The Nets continued to seek out solutions, nevertheless. They answered Boston’s threats at each alternative, managing to play them to a stalemate within the third quarter regardless of Tatum’s greatest efforts. The deficit remained at two factors coming into the ultimate quarter of regulation, 78-76.
The fourth quarter received off to an ignominious begin, because the shot-making the 2 groups confirmed off within the third was largely absent within the first six minutes. The Celtics once more struggled to seek out factors with Tatum on the bench, however they once more managed to place the clamps on Brooklyn’s offense, as properly. Each groups plummeted under the 30% mark from the behind the three-point line — Tatum, Pritchard and Thomas appeared to be the one gamers who may discover something resembling a rhythm from distance.
White recorded maybe the play of the night time because the clock ticked beneath six minutes to play in regulation, swatting a Dennis Schroder layup off of the backboard to maintain the deficit at three. After a Brooklyn timeout, consecutive finishes within the paint from Tatum and Vacation purchased the Celtics a one-point lead. The back-and-forth continued, although, with Schroder drilling a pull-up three over Tatum to convey the Nets forward by two with just below three minutes to play.
Amidst a disastrous night time from three-point vary, Sam Hauser cashed in on probably the most necessary pictures of the sport from Boston. His second made triple in 10 makes an attempt discovered the underside of the web, incomes the Celtics a one-point lead because the clock approached the two-minute warning. A cut up pair of free throws from Thomas arrange a tie sport at 92 apiece coming into the ultimate minute. The 2 groups got here up empty on the following a number of possessions, establishing a tie sport with 32 seconds to play, Celtics with the ball.
Mazzulla dialed up an excellent inbounds play on the following possession, springing Tatum free for an assertive dunk to place the Celtics forward by two. Simply two seconds ticked off the clock, however the Nets elected to not name timeout. They got here up empty on their subsequent possession — a Cam Johnson three-pointer — however Johnson was capable of corral his personal rebound and draw a foul on Tatum to place himself on the free throw line. He transformed each free throws, and the ball went again to Boston with simply 7.1 seconds on the sport clock. Tatum’s iso jumper failed to seek out paydirt as time expired, and it was time for 5 minutes of free basketball in TD Backyard with the sport tied at 94 apiece.
Additional time started in distinctive vogue, with Tatum taking (and lacking) a technical free throw after Brooklyn’s Keon Johnson was T’d up for throwing the ball throughout the court docket after the fourth quarter buzzer. When play resumed in earnest, the groups traded buckets within the paint, remaining tangled up — 100 factors all — because the clock approached two minutes remaining.
Horford offered the primary long-range scoring of the additional body, cashing in on a triple with 1:56 remaining to provide the Celtics a three-point edge. Schroder responded with a layup, but it surely was summarily negated by a two-pointer from Tatum. The clock ticked beneath a minute remaining to play, and after a missed three from Tatum, the Nets known as timeout to save lots of a damaged possession with 31 seconds remaining. Their ensuing possession went nowhere, and took too lengthy, as well — with 23 seconds remaining within the sport, Brooklyn had no alternative however to play the foul sport. A pair of freebies from Pritchard lastly, mercifully put the sport on ice.
Subsequent up, the Celtics will head to the Midwest, going through off with the Bucks for the second time this season on their dwelling court docket in Milwaukee, this Sunday at 3:30 PM EST on NBC Sports activities Boston.
