The Brooklyn Nets are still searching for that first crack in the dam, and Tuesday night in Boston gives them another shot to find it. They walk into TD Garden at 0-3, trying to climb out of an early hole against a Celtics team that arrives on the second night of a back-to-back after blasting the Chicago Bulls by 35 points.
Brooklyn’s latest setback came Sunday, a 136-109 loss to the Indiana Pacers. That followed a 125-121 defeat to Cleveland on Saturday, a game that featured a fourth-quarter rally after the Nets had trailed by 22 points. The effort against the Cavaliers showed Brooklyn has some fight, but it also underscored the bigger issue: the Nets still haven’t put together a complete 48 minutes.
Defense has been the loudest concern through the first three games. Against Indiana, Brooklyn stayed in it early before surrendering 112 points over the final three quarters. Head coach Jordi Fernández said that performance was unacceptable, citing communication, execution and the team’s ability to stay connected on both ends.
The turnovers have been just as damaging. Brooklyn had 20 giveaways against Cleveland, then ran into more trouble taking care of the ball against Indiana. If the Nets want any chance to hang around Tuesday, they’ll need cleaner possessions and a much firmer grip on the game.
Boston, meanwhile, showed plenty of offense in Monday’s win over Chicago. Payton Pritchard put up 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting and hit seven three-pointers.
Jayson Tatum finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Paul George added 16 points and five rebounds. Even with that easy-looking win, the Celtics coughed it up 24 times, which at least gives Brooklyn something to target.
That said, the Nets can’t afford to rely on mistakes alone. Pritchard’s perimeter shooting is a real problem for a Brooklyn group that has struggled to get consistent stops, and Tatum gives Boston a scorer who can punish breakdowns in more than one way. The Celtics have enough firepower to make every defensive lapse hurt, especially if Brooklyn is slow closing out on shooters.
There is a small boost for the Nets heading into this one: rookie guard Mikel Brown Jr. is off the injury report and available after dealing with an ankle injury. His return adds another backcourt option as Brooklyn tries to get its offense moving.
Still, the challenge is bigger than one added player or one tired opponent. Boston’s schedule could matter after the quick turnaround, but the Celtics were able to spread minutes around in that blowout, so Brooklyn cannot assume fatigue will do the heavy lifting. The Nets will have to create that edge themselves by limiting turnovers, getting back in transition and making the Celtics work for open looks.
The message from Brooklyn after the Cleveland loss was clear enough. Egor Dëmin said the team needed to carry the mentality from its late comeback into the opening minutes, not just the closing stretch. That has to be the standard now, because Boston has already shown how fast it can separate from teams that are slow out of the gate.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET Tuesday night at TD Garden. The Nets are trying to avoid 0-4, and they’re hoping this is the night their promising stretches finally turn into something more complete.
In Other News...
Nets Let A Winnable Road Game Slip Away At The Worst Time
Brooklyn had every reason to feel good about how it had fought its way into a tight finish in Boston, especially with rookie Mikel Brown Jr. giving the Nets a burst of life in the fourth quarter. He scored 13 points in the period, and for a stretch it looked like Brooklyn might steal a road game it had no business controlling for long stretches.
Instead, a late mistake gave the Celtics the opening they needed in a game that was already hanging by a thread. The Nets left with a 125-124 overtime loss, a brutal ending in a matchup that had been there for the taking and will linger because the final possession turned from a chance to close it out into another reminder of how thin the margin is on the road. [Read more 🡒]
Why The Nets Wanted No Part Of Jaylen Brown
When Boston came calling with a trade idea for Jaylen Brown, the Nets reportedly didnt need long to think it over. According to league insider Brian Lewis, Brooklyn passed on the offer because Browns close relationship with Kyrie Irving was part of the package, and the organization was wary of reopening old doors it had worked hard to close.
For the Nets, it was less about Browns talent than the memory attached to the move. League sources said Brooklyn wanted no part of anything that could resemble another Kyrie Irving situation, a reminder of how much the franchise still measures potential additions against the turbulence that came with Irvings stint there. Brown eventually landed with the Philadelphia 76ers, where he is playing now, but the reason Brooklyn backed away says plenty about the standards the team is applying to its roster decisions. [Read more 🡒]
Nets May Have Avoided A Bigger Egor Demin Scare
Egor Demins night ended early in Boston after he left with a right leg contusion and never returned, a frustrating turn in an overtime loss for the Nets. The injury came after a collision with Paul George, and Brooklyn was left to sort through another short-handed finish while trying to assess how much trouble its rookie guard was really in.
Demin offered a calmer read after the game, saying the issue does not appear serious and that he expects to be back in a couple of days. Even so, there was still some uncertainty about whether he would need imaging, and his availability for Fridays matchup with the Detroit Pistons remains up in the air. [Read more 🡒]