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Life without Kevin Durant began anew for the Nets on Thursday night.
Their first challenge in Durant’s absence because of a sprained MCL? The team with the best record in the NBA, and the one standing between the Nets and the top of the Eastern Conference.
Despite a strong start and a two-point game entering the third quarter, the Nets ran out of gas in the fourth and fell to the Celtics 109-98 at Barclays Center.
The loss was only the Nets’ third in their last 21 games, but one they hope is not a harbinger. Last season, when Durant missed six weeks with an MCL sprain, the Nets went 5-16. This time around, they were on their way to a better start without Durant and led by as many as nine points in the first half.
The Celtics (31-12) were also shorthanded, playing without Jaylen Brown and Al Horford on the second half of a back-to-back, but they finished stronger to knock off the Nets.
