As the season begins to wind down and the playoffs are right around the corner, Brooklyn entered the game looking to leapfrog over the Celtics in the race for eighth place. They were also seeking their third straight win as Boston avoided a fourth consecutive loss. Rookie Marcus Smart returned to action after serving a one-game suspension for the incident that took place with San Antonio Spurs center Matt Boner.
In the first stanza of the game, Brooklyn found themselves up, 33-28, despite shooting it at 35 percent. Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young contributed with eight early points each. The Celtics then began to take command as they entered halftime being up by five points. Center Kelly Olynyk knocked down a three pointer at the buzzer to end the second frame.
Brooklyn’s shooting percentage continued to be low at halftime as they remained at 35 percent while the Celtics were at 54 percent. They were able to remain close, however, as they converted on all but one of their first 13 free-throw attempts. For the last two quarters of the game, Boston outscored Brooklyn as they kept their good ball movement going and converted on several uncontested shots.
The Celtics wrapped up the game with 25 assists as Evan Turner led them in that category with 12. Turner notched a triple-double with 19 points and 10 boards as well. Avery Bradley put up 20 points with seven rebounds. Olynyk contributed with 18 points of the bench. Six players for Boston wrapped up the game in double digit scoring.
Brook Lopez was the game’s highest scorer with 31 points. Deron Williams was one board shy of a triple-double as he ended with 10 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds. Shots were not falling for Brooklyn as they concluded the game shooting 32 of 89 from the floor. Their three-point shooting was also dreadful, as they hit one of 17 from downtown.
The Nets will now matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, a team that is also in the race for the eighth seed. Last time these two teams squared off, Charlotte came up with the victory. Brooklyn has shown to have more success on the road than at home, so being away from the Barclays Center could serve them as an advantage. Boston’s next game will be against the Miami Heat. Both games will be on Wednesday, March 25th.