The Boston Celtics have enjoyed the better end of their rivalry with the Brooklyn Nets in recent contests and after the departure of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving at the 2023 NBA trade deadline, this matchup was looking easier than those that came before it this season. And that, it seems, was the problem. The Celtics roared out to a 28-point lead in the first half but took their foot off of the gas as is their habit, and it cost them as the Nets came out in the second quarter with more focused, physical play.
Brooklyn took the lead in the middle of the third quarter and didn’t look back, an embarrassing effort from Boston led to the worst loss of the season and the biggest comeback of the season for Brooklyn among ANY team. Even big games from Jaylen Brown (35 points, 5 assists), Jayson Tatum (22 points, 13 boards, 5 assists) and Derrick White (16 points off of the bench) were not enough to salvage the worst effort from the Celtics in recent memory.
Let’s take a look at some of the best plays captured in images from the Celtics’ game No. 64 of their 2022-23 campaign.
Celtics Lab 173: On whether rest, seeding, or meshing matters most for the Celtics’ stretch run with Evan Valenti https://t.co/8eEFMnkxbL
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) March 3, 2023
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