Nets set for rematch with champion Celtics

Return to Brooklyn to host Boston on Wednesday

November 13, 2024 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Cam Thomas and the Nets will try to shrug off last Friday's overtime loss in Boston when they host the defending NBA champs in Brooklyn Wednesday. AP Photo by Michael Dwyer

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Less than a week removed from a heartbreaking overtime loss in Boston, the Brooklyn Nets will try to get a measure of revenge Wednesday night when they host the defending NBA champions at Downtown’s Barclays Center.

Fresh off a 1-2 road trip that began with last Friday’s 108-104 defeat in Beantown, the Nets (5-6) hope to climb back to .500 and build off Monday’s 107-105 victory in New Orleans.

They’ll have to do so against an Atlantic Division-leading Celtics squad that is coming off Tuesday’s 117-116 defeat to visiting Atlanta.

Boston (9-3) was recovering from a 118-112 home loss to Golden State when the Nets showed up at TD Garden last weekend.

Despite getting 31 points from Cam Thomas and 20 from Dennis Schroder, Brooklyn was unable to overcome a 33-point, nine-rebound, six-assist effort from reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Jayson Tatum in the initial meeting.

But it nearly did.

The Nets forced OT on Cam Johnson’s free throws with 7.1 seconds left in regulation before Payton Pritchard had six of Boston’s 14 points in the extra session to foil Brooklyn’s early season upset bid.

A night later, the Nets gave still-unbeaten Cleveland all it could handle before the Cavaliers outscored them, 35-18, over the final 12 minutes to pull out a 105-100 win.

Rookie head coach Jordi Fernández watched his team recover from the back-to-back narrow defeats in The Big Easy as Thomas paced seven Nets in double figures in scoring with 17 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 32 ticks left on the clock.

“Just buying into what Jordi is trying to instill in us, in the culture. Just outworking opponents, being connected, and just playing together as a team,” Thomas said following the tough loss in Boston.

“It was really just embodying what Jordi is preaching.”

Brooklyn overcame 17 turnovers and getting outscored 52-28 in the paint in New Orleans by draining 45% percent of its shots from beyond the arc, including a career-best 5-of-10 performance from budding second-year forward Noah Clowney.

The 20-year-old Clowney, who became the youngest Net ever to make at least five 3s in a single game, had only gone 7-of-26 from long range in his previous eight contests.

Though they are still waiting for key reserves Day’Ron Sharpe and Trendon Watford to begin their respective seasons, the Nets keep finding ways to frustrate opponents and beat them on more occasions than anyone expected when this “rebuilding” campaign began.

Watford may be back “soon”, according to Fernández, as both he and Sharpe have been out since training camp with hamstring injuries.

While Sharpe, a big difference-maker off the bench with his rebounding and tenacity on the defensive end, is likely to return no sooner than the end of the month, the Nets should be heartened by the potential addition of forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who sat out Monday with an ankle injury.

Offseason acquisition Ziaire Williams started in place of Finney-Smith and contributed 12 points and a team high-tying nine rebounds. Williams is averaging career bests of 8.6 points and 4.5 boards through his first 11 games with Brooklyn.

Ziaire Williams shined in his first start as a Net Monday night in New Orleans, putting up 12 points and nine rebounds in Brooklyn’s win. AP Photo by Gerald Herbert

The Nets are also hoping Ben Simmons can continue to lead Brooklyn’s young reserve corps.

The 6-foot-10 playmaker had a season-high 12 assists in New Orleans to go with six points, five rebounds and a pair of steals in 22 minutes off the pine.

Simmons, plagued by back issues since his arrival here in February 2022, could be a vital cog going forward, if he stays healthy and can participate in more games.

He has sat out at least once in each of Brooklyn’s first three sets of back-to-backs thus far for back management.

“Ben just doing what Ben do, getting us into offense, pushing the pace, getting his assists,” Thomas said. “So I mean, (we’re) gonna need a lot more of that for these upcoming games, but at the same time, it’s still good to see.”

The Nets didn’t see Jaylen Brown the last time they faced the Celtics as the shooting guard was out with a hip flexor.

Brown looked just fine Tuesday, torching Atlanta for a season-high 37 points, albeit in defeat.

Derrick White added 31 points and Tatum finished with 20 points and eight assists for Boston, which hasn’t lost back-to-back regular-season games since April 9-11.

The Celtics have won their last five meetings with the Nets dating to a 115-105 loss in Boston on March 3, 2023.
Tip-off at Barclays Wednesday is set for 7:30 p.m.

Jaylen Brown and the defending NBA champion Celtics will try to rebound from a one-point home loss to Atlanta when they invade Barclays Center Wednesday. AP Photo by Charles Krupa

NOTHING BUT NET: Thomas’ team-leading 24.5 points per game rank 17th overall in the NBA. The 23-year-old shooting guard has cracked the 30-point plateau on four times this year, the last coming in Boston Friday. … The Nets will kick off their NBA Cup group-stage slate Friday night at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks. It is the opener of a two-game set between the East River rivals, who will clash at the Garden again on Sunday.