Celtics Grit Out Double-OT Win Over Nets Behind Relentless Effort and Unlikely Heroes
BROOKLYN - The Celtics didn’t exactly make it easy on themselves Friday night. A nine-point lead with just over two minutes left in regulation vanished in a flurry of Brooklyn putbacks.
Both of Boston’s main big men - Luka Garza and Neemias Queta - fouled out. Jaylen Brown, despite a triple-double effort, struggled in the first overtime, missing three straight shots that could’ve iced the game.
And yet, when the dust finally settled after two chaotic overtimes, it was the Celtics who were celebrating a 130-126 win - not because everything went right, but because they refused to quit when everything went wrong.
It took some wild sequences and a whole lot of heart to get there. Down five with eight seconds left in the first overtime, Boston looked cooked. But instead of folding, they executed two near-perfect plays that extended the game and flipped the momentum.
First, Sam Hauser launched a full-court inbounds pass to two-way rookie Amari Williams, who found Payton Pritchard for a deep three. Then, after Brooklyn’s Nolan Traore split his free throws, Baylor Scheierman hit Hugo Gonzalez in the corner for a game-tying triple - a shot made possible by a timely Jaylen Brown cut that muddled the Nets’ coverage, and a shrewd last-second substitution by Joe Mazzulla to get Gonzalez on the floor.
In just 10 seconds, six different Celtics made winning plays. That’s the kind of collective effort Mazzulla has been preaching all season.
“We don’t always play perfect, but you can guarantee that we play hard,” Mazzulla said postgame. “And that gives you a chance every night.”
That mindset - play hard, no excuses - has been the foundation of this Celtics team since training camp. Brown, who finished with 27 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds for his fifth career triple-double, spoke candidly about the culture shift.
“We just set a tone for what we want Celtics basketball to be,” Brown said. “It wasn’t an excuse for none of our guys - not me, or for anyone from top to the bottom.”
That accountability has been real. Brown himself has been benched at times this season for lapses in effort - a move that might’ve been unthinkable in years past. But rather than push back, he’s embraced it.
“If you’re not playing hard, if you’re not doing what you’re supposed to be doing, you don’t need to be out on the floor,” he said.
This year’s Celtics aren’t leaning on talent alone. With a roster full of younger, unproven players, they’ve had to earn everything through effort.
“We’re not the most talented team out there,” Brown admitted. “We got some good guys, some talented guys, some good potential that we’re still cultivating and developing. But a lot of our guys, this is their first time playing meaningful minutes.”
That includes Pritchard, who erupted for 32 points and 4 assists, including 25 points after halftime. His ability to step up in big moments has become a theme for this group.
“What I like about this team is just how hard we play - every night, somebody new can step up and win the game for you,” Pritchard said.
And that’s exactly what happened Friday. It wasn’t just the stars. It was everyone.
Hauser stayed hot with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including a clutch three in double OT. Off the bench, Anfernee Simons, Gonzalez, and Garza all scored in double figures. Gonzalez was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, Garza chipped in 12 points, and both players made momentum-swinging plays on the defensive end - including a Gonzalez block on Cam Thomas and a Garza rejection that got Jayson Tatum (in street clothes) out of his seat.
There were other plays that didn’t show up in the box score but made a major impact: Scheierman drawing a charge, Brown's off-ball movement creating space, and Williams’ poise in crunch time. These moments add up. They’re the kind of plays that define a team’s identity.
And make no mistake, this Celtics team has found theirs.
Mazzulla’s message has been clear all season: playing hard is non-negotiable. It’s not just coach-speak - it’s become the team’s calling card. Despite a roster that, on paper, might not stack up with the NBA’s elite, Boston sits at 28-16 with the East’s second-best record and a +7.5 net rating - second-best in the league.
They’ve earned that standing the hard way.
“What you start to notice being in the NBA for a long time, playing hard is 70% of the battle,” Brown said. “If you can do that, the rest of the stuff is just plus or minus. But playing hard will get you by a lot.”
That grit has resonated with fans, too. Barclays Center felt more like TD Garden at times, with Boston’s energy and effort winning over the crowd.
“I think the fans respect that more than anything,” Brown said. “The X’s and O’s will be the X’s and O’s - you’ll make or miss shots - but your effort, playing hard, defending, things like that, that’s stuff that I think the city of Boston represents.”
Friday night was far from flawless. But it was a perfect snapshot of who these Celtics are - a team that’s not waiting for things to go right, but fighting through when everything goes wrong. And that’s a formula that just might carry them further than anyone expected.