The Brooklyn Nets fell 113-99 to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday at Barclays Center. Jordi Fernandez's squad led by as much as 10 early in the game and regained the lead midway through the fourth quarter, but could not muster the offense to get over the hump.
While the loss dropped the rebuilding squad to 2-14 on the season, it represented continued progress following a historically bad start.
“Playing this competitive brand of basketball against a very good team is important. I wasn't happy with the way we were competing a few games ago. And now, for four straight games, we've played a respectable brand of basketball, a competitive brand of basketball,” Fernandez said postgame. “And if that's the case… we will live with the results. We just want our fans, especially here at home, to be proud of what we do. I think nights like tonight, they should be proud of the young guys and the whole group… So that's how we move on to the next one and try to be better.”
Brooklyn was non-competitive during an embarrassing start to the season, allowing a franchise-record 522 points through its first four games. However, the team has shown signs of life over its last three appearances.
Nets show signs of life after historically bad start to season
The Nets led the Orlando Magic 98-94 with 1:56 remaining on Friday before collapsing in the final minutes. They followed up that performance with their second win of the season, dominating the Washington Wizards 129-106 on Sunday. Brooklyn once again looked competitive for much of Tuesday's Celtics tilt.
The Nets' defense has been the catalyst behind their recent competitiveness. Fernandez's squad has posted a 113.7 defensive rating over its last three games, a 12.6-point improvement from its first 11 outings. Brooklyn has forced 17.0 turnovers per game during that span, the 11th-most in the league.
“Our ball pressure has been better. We've seen that in what we chart game to game, our deflections have been up,” Fernandez said. “You can be a little bit more aggressive with your coverages when your ball pressure and your deflections are up. Because if you don't have those two things first, it's hard to go and put two on the ball, because now that is too soft of a double team. So trying to find that rhythm. The guys are playing hard. We created enough turnovers, and then we got points out of it. We won the points off turnovers battle by six. We just got to keep getting better.”
A breakout stretch from Michael Porter Jr. has fueled Brooklyn's offense of late. The offseason trade acquisition has averaged 27.0 points and 3.4 assists on .484/.381/.896 shooting splits over his last seven appearances. He's scored 20-plus points in every game during that span, the longest streak of his career.
However, the Nets have been unable to find offense outside of Porter Jr. down the stretch of their last two losses.
After leading by four with two minutes remaining in Orlando, Brooklyn missed its final five shots, allowing the Magic to close on an 11-0 run. Fernandez's squad scored 14 points on 4-of-15 shooting from the field and 1-of-9 from three with three assists and six turnovers during Tuesday's fourth quarter.
“I think we’ve got a young team and we’re newly playing together,’’ Porter Jr. said. “[The Celtics] have been in so many situations in the fourth quarter as a group. They knew how to execute down the stretch, and we’re still figuring that out. We’ve got to get organized and get on the same page… When things tighten up [in the fourth quarter], you’ve got to play a different style of basketball. There’s not as many easy looks. We’re still learning. We’re young. We’ll get there. It’s just experience.”
Tuesday's loss dropped the Nets to 2-12 on the season, tied with the New Orleans Pelicans for the NBA's second-worst record. Only the Indiana Pacers (1-13) and Washington Wizards (1-12), the two teams Brooklyn has beaten, are worse.
The Nets will be back in action on Friday at TD Garden during a rematch with the Celtics.
