NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets (12-31) just suffered one of their worst losses in franchise history following Wednesday’s loss to the New York Knicks, so it makes sense that the players would let the loss linger in their minds. While Brooklyn performed well enough to go above and beyond against another tough opponent in the visiting Boston Celtics (28-16), their execution fell short late in the game.
The Nets lost to the Celtics 130-126 in double overtime on Friday, even though Brooklyn made a lot of clutch shots in the clutch to come back from a 10-point deficit to force overtime. Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. scored 30 points and eight rebounds, while rookie guard Nolan Traore scored 21 points and three rebounds in the closing stages.
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Although the Nets did a good job of limiting the scoring impact of Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, who scored 27 points on 9-for-27 shooting and Brown dished out 12 assists, guard Payton Pritchard was the main player hurting Brooklyn’s defense. The Nets responded well to Wednesday’s loss to the Knicks, but only had execution issues down the stretch. Here are three takeaways from the Nets’ loss to the Celtics on Friday:
Michael Porter Jr. looks more like himself
Compared to the standard he established for himself in December, Porter struggled in January as his shot didn’t appear to be as accurate as typically expected. Porter shot 47.4% from the field in this game, but only made 4 of 12 three-pointers. However, when Porter moves like he did on several drives, his knee seems to feel better each game.
Nolan Traore shines
Traore appears to be firmly entrenched as the backup point guard in head coach Jordy Fernandez’s offense, but his place in the rotation could change depending on how his minutes are distributed. Not counting the Knicks loss, Traore has found himself finishing off some of Brooklyn’s recent games against Egor Deming, and when Traore can get to the basket like he does, it’s hard to keep him off the court for long periods of time.
Nick Claxton did it all
Claxton is having arguably the best season of his career, but that’s more about how much he contributes to the Nets on the court than being dominant in any one area. Claxton has proven at this point that he is one of the best rebounders and rim protectors in the league at the center position, but this game once again showcased his ability to impact the game with his passing skills and being in the right place at the right time.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: 3 takeaways from Nets’ 130-126 double overtime loss to Celtics
