D’Angelo Russell scores 34 points to help the Nets defeat the Celtics; the victory also snaps the Nets’ 10-game losing streak against the Celtics

Is it too early to cue up the music, “Movin’ on Up,” the theme song from the 1970s – 1980s sitcom, The Jeffersons? Perhaps, but to Brooklyn Nets fans, it sure does feel good to be one game away from reaching the .500 mark and to still be in contention for an NBA playoff spot.

NBA Playoff Watch: The Brooklyn Nets are now in the seventh spot in the NBA Eastern Conference (The Boston Celtics are currently in the fifth spot).

“We don’t really talk about it as a team,” Jarrett Allen said about the Nets currently in an NBA Playoff spot. “It’s obviously something on all of our minds that we want to make it, but it’s never that ‘oh, let’s make it.’ It’s never spoken out loud, but we all know what we have to do.”

We hear you, Jarrett Allen, but people who follow the Nets, are talking about it and not necessarily in hush tones because the upward trajectory of the Nets so far this season has taken many by surprise.

Last night, the Nets defeated the Boston Celtics 109-102 at home at the Barclays Center and in so doing, the Nets improved to 22-23 overall and 12-11 at Barclays Center, while the Celtics fell to 25-18 overall and 10-13 on the road with this loss. The Nets have also won five straight home games, which is a big deal for the Nets since it is the first time since the 2014-15 season (March 27 – April 6, 2015) that the Nets have won five consecutive games at home more evidence that the Nets are turning a corner.

This victory also snapped the Nets’ 10-game losing streak against the Celtics, which had marked the team’s longest active losing streak against any opponent. The last time Nets won a game against the Celtics it was three years ago on January 2, 2016, in Boston, for those of you who may be keeping score.

Last night’s win was not without some bumps in the road. The Nets ended the third quarter with a 24-point lead (90-66) and that wasn’t the largest lead of the night. The Nets had a 27-point advantage over the Celtics at 9:33 in the fourth quarter on a Spencer Dinwiddie 26' 3-point pull-up shot, but over the course of the last stanza, the Nets lead started slipping eventually getting to only seven points at 1:28 on a Jaylen Brown driving finger roll layup. Over the course of the closing seconds, the Nets were up by nine, up by seven, up by nine, and eventually ending the game at 109-102.

Of course, the media wanted to get Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson’s take on the Nets defensive breakdown in the fourth quarter.

“It speaks to how good they are,” coach Atkinson said regarding the Boston Celtics’ surge in the fourth. “We know it is coming. You’re not beating that team by 30 – you could but considering we haven’t beaten them since I’ve been here. I also think we played eight guys and that’s part of it. I think there was some fatigue. Sure, there’s things we can get better at. I’m going to talk to our 22-year-old point guard about being a little more secure with the ball. But overall, we hung on and closed it out.”

The Nets’ 22-year-old point guard, D’Angelo Russell, posted a game-high-tying 34 points (13-of-26 FG, 7-of-13 3FG, 1-of-2 FT) with five rebounds, a game-high seven assists, one steal and one block in 37 minutes. Russell scored 18 of his 34 points in the third quarter.

Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens had his eye on Russell.

“…The (Celtics) third-quarter defense was awful,” Stevens said. “Obviously, Brooklyn scored 44 in the quarter and D’Angelo Russell got going. We didn’t get a stop or a rebound for the first four minutes of the quarter. You’re not going to win games when you start the quarter like that in what was a back-and-forth, tougher, more physical game that we just couldn’t make a shot in the first half. But for whatever reason, our third quarter defense was not there. We (Celtics) went on a drought and Brooklyn just blew us out of the water…”

Still feeling good about his accomplishment in last night’s game against the Celtics, Russell told the media what it took for him to go on his scoring roll in the third quarter.

In a word, “Confidence,” Russell said. “I mean, I trust my craft. My teammates like I said they put me in the position to do that. They’re finding me when we have the hot hand, but once again I trust my craft and I know what I’m capable of.”

So, those of you who doubted D’Angelo Russell’s abilities and belief in himself, take note.

Looking at other Nets starters who were scoring leaders last night, Rodions Kurucs, a Nets rookie who has surprised everyone with his skills, totaled 19 points, four rebounds, and two steals in 33 minutes. Jarrett Allen also recorded 19 points with 12 rebounds and four blocks in 33 minutes. Joe Harris tallied 13 points, eight rebounds, and three assists in 35 minutes.

Coming off the bench for the Nets, DeMarre Carroll posted his second double-double of the season with 10 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in 33 minutes.

For the Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatum had a game-high-tying 34 points, five rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots, and one steal. Jaylen Brown scored 22 points, six rebounds, and two steals. Brad Wanamaker, who came off the bench for Boston, chipped in 13 points, four assists, three rebounds, and two steals.

Both teams are really going to have to put on their big boy pants tomorrow as they both face formidable teams. The Celtics square off against the Toronto Raptors at home at the Boston Garden. The Brooklyn Nets travel to Houston to play the Rockets, also tomorrow, and then on to Orlando to play the Magic on Friday, January 18, 2019. The Nets will then return home to play the Sacramento Kings on Monday, January 21, 2019, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at 3:30 p.m. at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

D’Angelo Russell leads Brooklyn Nets with 23 points; Vince Carter gets a video tribute, and; Jeremy Lin says he feels good

Last night was evidence that the Brooklyn Nets are working hard to turn a corner and a page on losing seasons of the recent past. Early on in last night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn dug itself into an 18-point hole at the 38.3-second mark in the first quarter and minus 19 points with a score of Hawks 46 and Nets 27 at the 9:02 mark in the second quarter. But, by the end of the first half, the Nets whittled the Hawks lead to six at 57-51. The reversal of fortunes for the Hawks occurred in the third quarter as the Nets ended the third stanza up by six points with the score 86-80. In the fourth is where the Nets kicked things into high gear leading by 20 points at the 2:38 mark on a Shabazz Napier running layup, and then ultimately defeating the Atlanta Hawks 116-100.

With this win, the Nets improved to 21-22 overall and 11-11 at Barclays Center, while the Hawks fell to 12-29 overall and 5-19 on the road with the loss. The Nets are now 13-4 in their last 17 games, which marks their best 17-game stretch since the 2013-14 season when the Nets had a 13-4 stretch from March 9, 2014, through April 8, 2014. Wow, that seems like eons ago. But hold on to your hats ladies and gentlemen because right now, the Brooklyn Nets are now the sixth seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference, which would make them playoff bound. If the NBA playoffs were held today, the Nets would be playing the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Not my favorite choice, I think they would have a better chance emerging from the first round if they were to play the Philadelphia 76ers. Just saying.

Die-hard Nets fans know that 2014 was the last time the Brooklyn Nets were in the NBA Playoffs. They also know during the Nets’ “Dark Ages” starting with the 2014-15 NBA season through 2017-18, that if the Nets got behind by more than 10 points, most likely, it would be a wrap because they lacked the strategic basketball acumen to climb back to the top. In many cases, the individual talent was there but collectively, they just didn’t know how to mix all of the strategic elements to survive as winners. And, last night, it was if someone hit a switch and pulled them out of a losing trance. Perhaps, it’s the influence of the respected new veteran players, or, hungrier new younger players, their own growth and maturity as a team, listening to the coaches, or, just tired of losing, or, any combination of the listed reasons and more.

But somehow, last night, the Nets figured out a way to climb out of a 20-point deficit to win by 16 points.

“First of all, no easy games in the NBA, that’s for sure,” Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said about how his team turned around a losing game to a winning one. “They blitzed us in the first quarter. I think a lot of that was them and some of it was us. And 38 points in the first quarter, it’s like you’re playing with fire when you dig a hole like that. Then I think 19 points in the second quarter we gave up and then 43 points in the second half, so we turned our defense around. I think the zone helped us, just got them out of rhythm a little bit, wasn’t our main kind of slice, but it was helpful. I thought it got them out of rhythm a little bit, helped us.”

Nets guard Joe Harris also chimed in on how this comeback showed the maturity and growth of the team.

“Yeah, obviously not the start that we wanted,” Harris said. “We talk about it a lot, trying to be consistent over four quarters, and if you’re not, you have a blimp. Say you have a quarter like today, 38-23, a little sluggish, especially on the defensive end – that’s where the veteran leadership comes in. Guys like J.D. (Jared Dudley) and DeMarre (Carroll) and Ed (Davis), they’re the ones who are vocalizing. They’re talking about aspirations that we have for this team. We can’t have these lapses if we want to get where we’re trying to go. I think considering where we’ve been, where we’re at now says a lot about the team. A lot of it rests with those veteran guys.”

What’s really amazing is that the Brooklyn Nets have found their way to win even without Caris LeVert, who was scoring 18 points per game and seemed destined to be the team’s rising star before his injury on November 12, 2018, when the Nets were playing the Minnesota Timberwolves. So, right now, we are witnessing “next man up” in action.

Obviously, Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce was disappointed in the game’s outcome and he pinpoints where things went awry for his team.

“I think we came out with the momentum from last night’s game, Atlanta Hawks coach Pierce told reporters. “A lot of energy, a lot of ball movement, a lot of pace, attacking downhill, and we just ran out of gas in the second quarter is where it started. It looks like the second half, but it really started in the second quarter. I don’t think we had a turnover in the first quarter, I could be wrong, it may have been at the end. But to end up with 22 turnovers basically over three quarters and just being flat. Tough, tough.”

Nets starting point guard, D’Angelo Russell, scored a team-high 23 points (11-of-20 FG) with three rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 26 minutes. Joe Harris registered 16 points and eight rebounds, and; Rodions Kurucs and Jarrett Allen, also starters, each contributed 11 points, Allen added five rebounds, while Kurucs, a rookie, added four rebounds.

Brooklyn’s bench outscored the Hawks’ reserves 55-31, led by DeMarre Carroll’s 17 points and four rebounds; Spencer Dinwiddie added 16 points, five assists, four rebounds, and two steals, and; Shabazz Napier chipped in 11 points, and three rebounds, assists, and steals respectively.

Veteran player, Ed Davis, who Nets center Jarrett Allen credits with helping him to up his game, crashed the boards with 16 rebounds to go along with his eight points.

John Collins led the Atlanta Hawks and all scorers in points last night against the Brooklyn Nets with 30 points and 14 rebounds; Trae Young registered 17 points and seven assists, and; Kevin Huerter rounded out the Hawks starters in double digits with 14points, 10 rebounds, and three assists.

The Hawks’ bench players in double digits were Jeremy Lin with 16 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals, and; Alex Len who contributed 10 points, and four assists.

This is Jeremy Lin’s second time at the Barclays Center since being traded from the Nets to the Atlanta Hawks. Lin was plagued with injuries the two seasons he was on the Nets roster. He spoke with reporters about how feels about his game right now.

“I feel good,” Lin told reporters. “I know tonight shots didn’t fall the way I wanted to. But for me, it’s not about makes or misses, it’s about the quality of the shot. I felt like I got really high-quality shots tonight and honestly, a ton of them felt great. That’s how it is sometimes. As many of those nights as I have, where they feel great and don’t fall, I’ll have many where they do. So I’m not too worried about it, I’m more just concerned with making sure I take great shots that I know I can hit and continuing to ride this momentum of trying to be aggressive, trying to make plays for my teammates as well, just trying to be disruptive on both ends of the floor.”

Veteran NBA player Vince Carter who was a Net from 2004 -2009, when the team was in New Jersey, received a video tribute to commemorate his 21st year in the NBA, as he had the night before in Toronto. No one really knows if this is Carter’s last season in the NBA, however, Carter was grateful.

“It’s a great trip – stressful sometimes, a lot of people to see,” Carter said about the reception from both teams. “But the appreciation, I’m very thankful for and I’ll never forget. The video – yes, it could be premature or not –they’re thinking about me and I’m very thankful.”

And, what’s up for the Atlanta Hawks’ immediate future, the Philadelphia 76ers. Yes, the Hawks will travel to Philadelphia to play the 76ers tomorrow, Friday, January 11, 2019, at 7:00 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets will have their own test as they travel to another country to face the Toronto Raptors, the team with the most wins in the NBA at 31, also on Friday, January 11, 2019, at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Nets then play the Boston Celtics at home at the Barclays Center on Monday, January 14, 2019, at 7:30 p.m. ET.

After battering and bruising the New York Knicks by 41 points on Sunday, Dec. 8, the Boston Celtics lost to the Brooklyn Nets 104-96 on Tuesday at the Barclays Center.

In Deron Williams' return to the lineup after missing nine straight games, he scored 24 points. It was the first match-up for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce against their former team as members of the Brooklyn Nets.

It was also the first time Garnett played against the Celtics--the last time was March 4, 2007, when he was with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

After the game, Garnett and Pierce both gave credit to Williams who had been out for the majority of the beginning of the season due to a sprained left ankle.

"D-Will set the tone for how we were going to play tonight," Garnett said.

"He's the head of the snake," Pierce said. "I mean he's one of the most important pieces of what we're trying to do here, what we're trying to build and trying to win a championship."

Pierce didn't start, but Williams said he gave the team a 'big boost off the bench.'

Coach Jason Kidd thought so too and has even considered bringing Pierce off the bench going forward.

But Kidd has taken a lot of heat thus far for the Nets' poor record and addressed his job security after fans were calling for his immediate firing.

"That's part of the job, you have to accept it, there are no excuses, you have to try to win," Kidd said when asked about his job. "Whatever any owner decides to do, that's his decision. For us, to have guys ready to play, no matter who it is, injuries or no injuries, you have to have guys ready to play. Patience is something I've always had and I still do and I still believe the process will work itself out. As a whole, we still believe we can win and have a positive season."

Last year, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov fired coach Avery Johnson after 28 games last season. Assistant coach, PJ Carlesimo took over for the remainder of the 2013-2014 Season, but he too was fired after the Nets lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Chicago Bulls.

The Nets will take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.

Spencer Dinwiddie recorded a team-high 20 points with three rebounds and three assists; and despite the loss, everyone’s talking about Dinwiddie

After winning two consecutive games and outlasting the Minnesota Timberwolves with Karl-Anthony Towns and scoring-machine Jimmy Butler, the Nets, as they readied themselves to go up against the Boston Celtics, were ready to show and prove that they can play with anybody. The Brooklyn Nets players were amped up and so were the fans.

Then, down the stretch, fans, reporters, analysts, and even the coaching staffs could see that the Nets were not getting legitimate calls in their favor by the officials. Towards the end of the matchup, it was the conversation heard by those entertaining the viewers watching on television, in the corridors at the Barclays Center, and in the locker room. It’s okay for fans and reporters to talk about NBA officials, but for players and coaches, absolutely not, or risk the hammer coming down from the NBA.

However, one player, who is in his fourth year in the league and who spent some of his time in NBA Developmental League, out of frustration, spoke up.

“It's funny you mention it being physical and not a lot of calls,” Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie said in responding to a reporter’s question. “It's a tough loss for us. It makes us 0-3 against the Celtics. Obviously, we wanted to be there and these are games we feel we should have won. It's become a trend this year. As a leader of the team, I can express our frustrations. We’re losing guys to whatever random contact, people are driving to the basket and getting knocked down- things of that nature. To see the same type of respect not reciprocated is very frustrating for us.”

“The other thing that is very frustrating as well,” Dinwiddie continued, “is we have these meetings right, as teams, or with PA about respect and so we want to treat everybody with respect because everybody is doing their jobs and they're trying their best including us. We turned the ball over calls are missed whatever it is. But when you approach somebody and they shush you or they wave you off like you're not a man or something of that nature that's also very frustrating. To already be in the position of feeling like you're not getting the same respect whether true or false it is an opinion at the end of the day. It’s very subjective. That is an opinion. But to have that and not just in one case but time after time, and like I said to be shushed [as] if you're not a man, those are the things that are really frustrating for guys on this team for sure. Especially games that are so hard-fought that come down to the last second.”

As thrilling as last night’s Brooklyn Nets game against the Boston Celtics was, it is a wake-up call, a clear sign that it is time for the NBA to clean up its officiating house.

I know, the common response is, just play and don’t look for the refs to bail you out. But if the calls were evenly distributed on the merits, perhaps, the officiating in the NBA wouldn’t be an issue. Imagine if this game was an early game during the Olympics and USA Basketball was playing the Russian team. During the game, you notice the Russian team is getting preferential treatment because the officials feel they need to help the Russians because USA Basketball is better. Or, if this was any game during the NBA Finals, the favored team gets all the favorable calls. No one would be silent.

So, Dinwiddie started the conversation this season, now it is time for anyone that cares about NBA Basketball, to speak up for the integrity of the game. Do away with the preferential calls because a player is a superstar, or it’s the home team, or the team is the best in its conference, etc. At the end of the day, preference distorts stats for players and teams.

The #NBA needs to do better and clean up its officiating act for the integrity of the game.

#DinwiddieIsAbsolutelyRight!

Without D’Angelo Russell, the Nets leading scorer, the Boston Celtics defeat the Brooklyn Nets 109-102

Returning from a West coast swing, Tuesday night at the Barclays Center was the Nets first game at home in 14 days, and they were without leading scorer, D’Angelo Russell who is suffering from a left knee contusion. He was hurt in the loss to the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.

As good as the Celtics are, this wasn’t a game where Boston was out front for the entirety and Brooklyn was trying to play catch up all night. The Celtics started 7 of 9 from the field to lead 17-4, and ended the first quarter 30-21. However, the Nets jumped ahead in the second quarter and countered every time Boston threatened to pull away until the final minutes. Ultimately, the Celtics won their 13th straight victory, defeating the Nets 109-102.

What made the difference in tonight’s game for the Celtics?

“I thought, obviously, answering Brooklyn’s runs,” responded Celtics head coach Brad Stevens. “You knew they (Nets) were going to come out and the first part we played great but we didn’t sustain it through probably the next two quarters. But then we mustered up enough at the end of the third to get a lead that went quick, which if you watch Brooklyn play that happens all the time. They do a great job of continuing to grind on you and making it as tough as possible. And they come back a lot. You knew it was going to be tough. I thought our group, once it got settled, played pretty well. ”

In the metrics that mattered, Boston out-rebounded Brooklyn 59-48 and the Nets 62.5 free throw percentage was abysmal compared to the Celtics’ 81.5 percent.

Joe Harris, the Nets three-point specialist, led Nets scorers with 19 points and described the Nets deficiencies against the Celtics.

“A lot of times bad shots offensively can make it really tough on your defense and I think that was a little bit of what happened to us,” Harris explained. “When we don’t play together and when we don’t play with the pass, a lot of times we take difficult shots and a lot of times that’s very similar to a turnover and they’re able to get in a good offense off of tough shots that we were taking.”

“I thought we had a lot of periods where we were really good moving it (the ball),” said Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson. “I thought Caris (LeVert) gave us a big boost. He really came in and he’s able to break down the switches when they do switch so he can go by guys, go by their bigs when they do switch. But overall, first half we had 15 assists. I’m not sure what we ended up with, 27? So that’s good news for us. That’s higher than our season average so a lot of positives. Obviously frustrated with the result but they’re an excellent team. They have a lot of talent, a lot of athletic talent that you saw on display tonight.”

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored 16 points and nine rebounds for the Nets; while Allen Crabbe and Caris LeVert added 15 points apiece. Spencer Dinwiddie totaled 12 points, a career-high-tying 11 assists (with just one turnover), four rebounds and one block in his third start of the season tonight.

For Boston, Kyrie Irving, who wore a facial mask all night because of a facial fracture, led all scorers with 25 points. Irving suffered a facial fracture in Boston's win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night. Marcus Morris scored 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, Al Horford led the Celtics in rebounding with 11 boards, and Jayson Tatum added 19 points.

Next up, Boston meets up with the Golden State Warriors in Boston on Thursday night, while the Nets host the Utah Jazz on Friday at the Barclays Center.

VIDEO: Brooklyn Nets introduce D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to New York media; questions about Russell maturity still abound

The Brooklyn Nets introduced D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the New York media. Again, Nets general manager Sean Marks, and head coach Kenny Atkinson prefaced their remarks by giving kudos to Brook Lopez and thanking him for his service to the Brooklyn Nets.

The Nets acquired D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov through a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Brook Lopez and a first round draft pick. The Nets had Boston’s first-round pick (Boston has Brooklyn’s), which gave the Nets a second first round pick at No. 27, which it turned over to the Lakers to complete the deal.

Much of the reporters’ questions focused on Russell’s maturity level and will Russell be a good fit within the Nets’ culture. Marks stands firmly behind his decision to acquire Russell and Atkinson believes contrary to public opinion, Mozgov will be motivated to work hard to quiet his critics.

Mozgov is one of two Russians to have won an NBA Championship. Mozgov won with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.

The Lakers trade of Russell and Mozgov was Magic Johnson’s first big move to make room to bring “show time” back to the Los Angeles Lakers. Russell is a good player, but if Lonzo Ball, who the Lakers drafted in the NBA Draft turns out to be as good a player as his father touts him to be, it will be the beginning of show time in L.A.

Acquiring Russell and Mozgov could prove to be better than a draft pick for the Nets, as both players have tremendous upsides. Russell does look at his trade to Nets as an opportunity to hit the reset button and prove the naysayers wrong. Russell wants to be a respected player in the NBA. Mozgov believes that Russell could be an elite player in the NBA because he has the talent, he just has to put in the work.

‘Weird’ feeling for Paul Pierce as Nets get victory in their first matchup since Celtics trade

It was evident that Paul Pierce faced some challenges when he went up against the Boston Celtics Tuesday night-- the team that birthed and raised his career for the past 15 years.

The 36-year-old admitted that it "was a little weird looking over and seeing all the green uniforms" since he was used to "lining up in the green and white for so long."

Even before tipoff, the uneasiness was still there as he stopped by the Celtics' locker room and walked into the shower room to greet Rajon Rondo, then made his rounds to the other players. During warm-ups, the two former teammates had another chat.

Before game time, Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd said he advised Pierce to treat the game like a scrimmage. But of course, that was easier said than done, as the veteran went scoreless for the first quarter and ended up with 4 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Unusual enough, Pierce was the first Nets starter announced when he was always the last one called in Boston.

Andray Blatche, who started in place of Kevin Garnett, picked up most of the slack with 14 points. Brook Lopez scored 20 points, but it was newbie Chris Johnson who put Brooklyn on top with the 82-80 victory.

Other new faces like Shaun Livingston, Mason Plumlee, Alan Anderson, Jorge Gutierrez and Brooklyn native and Benjamin Banneker alumni, Gary Forbes, banked in a few minutes.

Once a fan favorite at the Barclays—newly Celtic Kris Humphries was booed by the crowd in every moment possible, but he preserved and came out big, scoring 12 points in 28 minutes. There was some chatter on Twitter that Mr. Whammy, the Nets most-beloved fan yelled at fans for booing Humphries.

"He was a Net," Mr. Whammy reportedly said.

Meanwhile, the Nets played without Deron Williams, due to a sprained right ankle, and key reserves Andrei Kirilenko (back spasms) and Jason Terry (left knee), who was also part of that Boston trade.

The Brooklyn Nets stayed with Boston Celtics to the end, but could not close the deal

Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day and last night at the Barclays Center, it sounded as if every Boston Celtics fan from New England was in attendance to root for the Celtics. It was so loud I’m surprised the players could hear each other on the floor.

Unfortunately for the Nets, the luck of the Irish traveled with the Boston Celtics and their fans, as the Celtics pulled out a squeaker routing the Brooklyn Nets 98-95.

It didn’t help that the Nets went scoreless for five minutes in the latter portion of the first quarter, ending that stanza 21-16.

Brook Lopez started a rally for the Nets in the second quarter, coming out the gate scoring the team’s first five points. With a three-pointer, Jeremy Lin helped to create a 10-1 run. But that didn’t hold back the Celtics, they came roaring back with an 11-1 run led by Jae Crowder. The Nets stayed in the hunt until the last buzzer sounded. They ended the second quarter with an eight-point deficit (45-37), and the third with a six-point deficit (71-65).

The Nets had two opportunities to tie up the game in the final nine seconds. However, both Lopez and Quincy Acy missed three-pointers with seemingly good looks.

Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson saw a silver lining even in his team’s defeat against the Celtics who stand just two wins behind the Eastern Conference frontrunner, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“I think Brook (Lopez) helped us,” Atkinson said. “I thought the first half, we were in pick and roll 98 percent of the first half and it was just too much. We were giving them one dose of the same thing over and over. And then I felt like in the second half we started getting Brook some touches in the post and not just to score, but it just loosened up the defense. Even if he kicks it out for a shot or we’re getting them cuts off the post, so I think that helped us. It helped us penetrate their defense a little and I just felt like in the first half we weren’t getting into the teeth of the defense. So I think that’s what they learned. We can post up a little against this team and give them a little more variety.”

Four of the five Celtics starters scored in double digits. Crowder led all scorers with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Avery Bradley scored 16 points and five rebounds; Al Horford added 14 points and eight rebounds; and Marcus Smart chipped in 12 points and five assists.

Similar to the Celtics, four of the five Nets starters scored in double digits. Lopez had a team-high 23 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Randy Foye scored 14 points, Jeremy Lin and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson each scored 10 points with Lin adding seven rebounds and six assists, while Hollis-Jefferson chipped in 5 rebounds.

Off the bench for the Nets, newcomer Andrew Nicholson scored 11 points, and Acy chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds.

Next up, the Nets will play the Dallas Mavericks at home on Sunday.

It was the day before Thanksgiving and with dreams of plates full of turkey and stuffing dancing in their heads, thousands of fans brought their holiday spirit into the Barclays Center to cheer on the Brooklyn Nets as they took on the Boston Celtics. Jeremy Lin was once again inactive for the game due to a hamstring injury but the rest of the team was ready for action.

The Nets had a rough start in the opening minutes of the game falling behind 9-2 with 8:53 on the clock with Trevor Booker providing the only basket for Brooklyn. Booker provided the arena with energy due to his hustle on the floor. The Nets struggled from the field and three-point range compiling completion percentages for the quarter of 27.3% and 25% respectively. Unfortunately, sloppy play caused the Nets to commit seven turnovers leading to six Celtics points.

The start of the second quarter saw Brooklyn down by fourteen and it looked like the Celtics would run away with the game, however, Brooklyn pride would thwart such an attempt. The crowd chants of “defense!” propelled the team to respond by limiting Boston’s scoring opportunities and the Nets quickened the tempo leading to Brooklyn fast break points. While the Nets’ shooting woes continued, a three-pointer by Bojan Bogdanovic cut the lead to 10. The three-pointers didn’t always come when they wanted but they were always on time as three point baskets made by Brook Lopez and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson helped the Nets eventually cut the lead to two points at the end of the half.

The third quarter started and the Nets kept the number of turnovers to a minimum but the Celtics were able to penetrate the defense allowing shots from beyond the arc. The Celtics began to heat up from three-point land aiding in extending their lead. The Nets gave a valiant effort but the Celtics never relinquished the lead and left the Barclays Center with a victory, 111-92.

VIDEO: Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez gives the media his takeaways from the Nets preseason 100-97 loss against the Celtics

Brook Lopez on tonight’s game:

“It was tough. Like you said I thought we came out with great defensive presence and energy, and we sustained it for the most part. The third quarter has been key for us the past couple of games and I thought while the Celtics made their run we responded, which is something that hasn’t happened in the past two games.”

Brook Lopez On exploring the offense:

“Yeah, no question. I think the process will definitely continue over the regular season as well. You know we have so many new guys, new faces that we are getting to know each other and know the system. We are learning on the fly, but we have lots of intelligent, smart and selfless guys here, so we are picking it up quick and we’re enjoying playing with each other.”

Brook Lopez on playing with Jeremy Lin so far:

“ It’s been great. You know, he makes everyone on the floor better, he makes me a better player no question. He’s just such a great influential presence out on the floor for us.”

Brook Lopez on team coming together on defense:

“Absolutely, we made a point that on the road we need to come out with energy, but we need to do the same at home, you know, we need to come out and be the aggressor. That’s where we’re going to be an advantageous position, that’s where we are going to find out solidarity within each other, playing with energy, playing together.

And, there is more in the video.