BOSTON — The last time the Nets played at TD Garden, they suffered the second-worst loss in franchise history, a loss that cost Jacque Vaughn his job.
This time, they suffered a heartbreaking 108-104 loss in overtime, leading the defending champion Celtics by almost wire to wire, in front of a raucous sell-out crowd of 19,156. .
Brooklyn led by 14 points early and still led in the fourth quarter, but the game went into overtime.
That's when Boston star Jayson Tatum (game-high 33 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists) hit the game-tying 3-pointer off Al Horford, giving the Celtics a permanent lead. Ta.
Friday's game was a far cry from Feb. 24, when the Nets were whipped 136-86, the second-worst result in NBA history, and resulted in Bourne's immediate dismissal.
“I don't like mental wins because I feel like this game was a win for us. We led most of the game. They had some good possessions at the end and made some big shots. We just made it,” said Cam Thomas, who scored a team-high 31 points. “We have to live with it, hats off. But at the end of the day, I feel like we won this game. Like every time we play here, from start to finish. It wasn't that we were at a huge disadvantage, it was always a beatdown, but it was really good.
“I think the team is in good shape right now. The energy is high. We all like each other. We all love playing for each other. The coaches have been great. So the team's I think the conditions and atmosphere are high. We need to keep playing and keep trying to win games. So I'm really happy.”
The match was decided at 94-all, 96-all, 98-all, and finally 100-all in overtime.
Tatum hit a 3-pointer off Horford to make it 103-100. Dennis Schroder (20 points) helped the Nets close to one point, but Tatum's jumper cut them back to three points. And when Dorian Finney-Smith made a miss, the Nets had no chance.
Thomas committed a 24-second violation without looking at the clock, effectively ending the final match.
The Nets defeated Boston 51-39 on the glass.
And they allowed the fewest threes (just 11.4 per game), with the champions missing 39 of them and making just 14 of 53 from deep.
But even though the Nets had one fewer turnover (13-12), Brooklyn was outscored 20-7 on turnovers.
Tatum now scored 10 points in the third, helping the Nets sink in overtime.
“It was a loss, it was disappointing, so we have to take positives from it,” said Ben Simmons, who had eight points, eight assists and seven boards. “That's what Jordi leads us to do: play hard. If you don't play hard, you don't play. And that's what everyone expects. So when a guy is doing that, The next person does it too. It's a trickle effect. That's just our standard here.”
The Nets (4-5) put that standard on the line Saturday in Cleveland, where they defeated the Cavaliers, led by former coach Kenny Atkinson, at an NBA-best 10-0.
Jrue Holiday had 17 points, Horford had 13 points and 10 boards for Boston, which improved to 8-2.
Saturday's loss would be a downfall for the Nets, who broke through the blocks and quickly took the lead, scoring the first 12 points.
Thomas' three hits increased the lead to 16-2.
However, Brooklyn's lead was cut to four points in the second quarter and they entered the second half with a 51-49 lead.
After a tense fourth quarter with four ties and three lead changes, the final difference would be decided in overtime.
“I don't think our group needs this to believe we have confidence against anyone. We lost the game so we're not happy,” Fernandes said. “They're a very good team, but we can't be satisfied because that's not what this league is about.
“If you feel satisfied for a moment, it's going to kick you at some point and you're going to be punished. So the players don't want to lose this game and we're going to learn from it. After that. [on Saturday]we play against a very good team. ”
