POP GO THE NETS
B’klyn’s bubble bursts as Celts snap win streak
What goes up, eventually, must come down. That applies to a Nets team that was on an all-time high after defeating the league-best Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. Brooklyn came crashing down, and hard, in a humbling, backto-reality loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
The final score: 149115
The Celtics, who were without All-Star starter and Rice HS product Kemba Walker (rest) ran up the score, taking advantage of a Nets defense that couldn't stay out of foul trouble or defend the three-point line. Boston made 25 of its 35 free throws and shot 20 of 39 from behind the arc.
And they did it to a Nets team that welcomed their three bubble stars back from resting the prior night. Both teams were playing the second game of a back-to-back: Fatigue can't be an excuse.
Both Caris LeVert and Joe Harris shot 6-of-14 from the field. Jarrett Allen finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists. But the Nets had no answer for Boston's trio of forwards.
Gordon Hayward caught fire early, bullying his way to the foul line to turn in 13 first half points. Jayson Tatum committed three fouls in his first six minutes minutes of play, but did not commit another foul all game and finished with 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three. Tatum looked every bit the All-Star he was selected earlier this season. He knocked down contested threes with ease, as if the defense never existed.
“Just not playing smart. Fouled too many shooters,”
Nets interim coach Jacque Vaughn said during the break between the first and second quarters. “We need to play better and we will.”
Newsflash: The Nets didn't play any better in the second. They turned the ball over seven more times and finished the first half 4-of-15 after pelting the Bucks for 21 threes the previ- ous night. Brooklyn finished 8- of-32 from downtown.
Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown added five threes of his own on top of Tatum's, running up a game-high 21 points as the Celtics returned the favor to a Nets team that had just peppered the Bucks from three the night before.
Three standout attendees to the Nets' loss on Wednesday? Nets general manager Sean Marks, former Warriors head coach Mark Jackson and former Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy. Marks has been with the team since it landed in the Orlando bubble. Jackson tuned in as a virtual fan — as all bubble games are played in empty arenas populated by fans who tune in remotely — and Van Gundy called the game as an analyst on the ESPN broadcast.
Both Jackson and Van Gundy have been tied to the Nets head coaching job Vaughn is fighting to retain.
The 34-point loss to the Celtics doesn't help matters much for Vaughn, but the Nets have one day to shake it off. They only have four more games on the schedule, and their loss on Wednesday leaves the door cracked open for the ninth-place Wizards to force a play-in tournament.
Next up: The Sacramento Kings, who will be playing the second game of a backto-back after their Thursday matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans.