The Brooklyn Nets hosted the Boston Celtics on Thursday for the second matchup between the two teams this season and lost 109-98. Boston now lead the regular-season series 2-0.
For the Nets, Kyrie Irving had 24 points and six assists while TJ Warren had 20 points off the bench. Joe Harris had 18 points and Royce O’Neale had 11 points.
For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum had 20 points and 11 rebounds while Marcus Smart had 16 points and 10 assists. Malcolm Brogdon had 16 points off the bench and Derrick White had 15 points.
This game was competitive through the first three quarters. With the absences of Kevin Durant and Jaylen Brown, neither team had as much firepower as typically expected. Brooklyn did a good job of defending Tatum and Irving did not have his most efficient shooting game.
This game turned into a blowout in the fourth quarter as Boston had its offense rolling despite Tatum’s tough shooting night and Brooklyn was unable to keep up without Durant on the court. The Celtics out-rebounded the Nets 48-31 in this game and that lead to a lot of second possessions for Boston that eventually got the best Brooklyn.
Here’s how NBA Twitter reacts to the Nets’ disappointing loss: