The Nets respect the Celtics and how they play but aren’t trying to emulate or imitate the reigning champs as much as beat them and carve out their own winning identity. Friday’s crusher was a tough lesson on the road, dropping a 108-104 overtime heartbreaker before a typically raucous sellout crowd of 19,156 at TD Garden.
The Nets respect the Celtics and how they play but aren’t trying to emulate or imitate the reigning champs as much as beat them and carve out their own winning identity.
Friday’s crusher was a tough lesson on the road, dropping a 108-104 overtime heartbreaker before a typically raucous sellout crowd of 19,156 at TD Garden.
The game was knotted at 94-all, 96-all, 98-all and, finall,y 100-all in overtime.
After Payton Pritchard’s free throws with 2:45 left put Boston ahead by two, Cam Thomas (team-high 31 points) knotted it again for the final time.
Jayson Tatum (33 points, nine rebounds, six assists) found Al Horford for a 3-pointer that made it 103-100. Dennis Schroder scored to pull the Nets within one, but Tatum’s short jumper padded it back to three.
And when Dorian Finney-Smith missed, the Nets were running out of chances.
Brooklyn inbounded with 31 seconds left but couldn’t get a shot off and committed a 24-second violation.
The rest was academic, with the Celtics closing the game out at the line.
