Nets comeback bid falls short vs. Celtics in 103-94 loss

Boston played far closer to their norm, exhibiting fantastic ball movement and unselfish play while the Nets slumped and stopped hitting the tough shots they made Saturday, stagnating on offense in the process.

The Nets beat the Celtics, 100-97, and considering Boston owns Brooklyn’s first-round pick, the C’s didn’t do themselves any favors by suffering their second loss at the hands of Brooklyn in 2015-16.

Isaiah Thomas had 24 points, Jae Crowder 16 and Evan Turner 12 for Boston.

Brandon Knight had 23 points and Devin Booker scored 21 for the Suns, who have lost 10 of 11.

Jack, 32, has started 32 of 33 games for the Nets this season, averaging 12.8 points and a team-high 7.4 assists.

“I chalk it up to we were fortunate”, Hollins said.

Brook Lopez dominated the Celtics in his team’s win on Saturday, erupting for 30 points and 13 rebounds.

There isn’t many options for head coach Lionel Hollins to turn to on the roster, but one person that he should be giving minutes to is Willie Reed. The two teams face each other again in Brooklyn on Monday. The Celtics could’ve used one of their best shooters in the second half, but Bradley played just 10:31 of the first half before leaving the game with a left hip injury. Larkin may in fact be the least talented starting point guard in the National Basketball Association, but he does appear to be better than his backup and he does have a decent fantasy ceiling. In Boston, the Nets shot a miserable 3-18 from three and tonight finished 6-28, including a downright dismal 1-15 combined from Bojan Bodanovic and Wayne Ellington.

In Saturday’s game, the Celtics were sluggish at the start and trailed by 2 points after one quarter.

That would bring the total number of games missed this season for Bradley to four, with a potential return to action on Sunday at Memphis. With 3:00 left in the game, Joe Johnson cut the Celtic lead to five on short jumper as apart of an 8-3 run.

Young has posted double-doubles in all three games against Boston. Sloan was on the floor for much of the second-half push.

Boston did not really extend the lead in the third quarter, but it also was never on the verge of relinquishing it, entering the final period with a 79-68 edge. Crowder and Jack were assessed technical fouls for the jawing that took place after the foul.

Irving scored a season-high 25 points while adding eight assists and six rebounds, and forward LeBron James had 20 points and seven assists while sitting out the fourth quarter on a night when all five Cavs starters scored in double figures.