The Brooklyn Nets fell 118-110 to the Boston Celtics Tuesday before a sellout crowd at Barclays Center. Here are three key takeaways from the Nets' fourth loss in five games.
Ben Simmons struggles in halfcourt offense
Entering Tuesday, Ben Simmons had impressed over five appearances after returning from a three-month absence. The three-time All-Star averaged 7.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.2 steals in 18.7 minutes per game during that span. However, as has been the case during his Brooklyn tenure, much of his offensive success came in transition.
With the Nets unable to get stops vs. Boston, they were forced to play in the halfcourt, where Simmons continued to look uncomfortable. The Aussie finished with five points and eight assists on 1-of-5 shooting. The Celtics intentionally sent Simmons to the free-throw line twice in the first half. He finished 3-of-6 from the charity stripe, where he's shot 43 percent on 1.2 attempts per game over two seasons with the Nets.
While Simmons' transition ball-handling and facilitation have been an asset since his return, his struggles generating offense in the halfcourt and knocking down free throws loom as concerns surrounding his ability to close tight games moving forward.
No early answers for Jayson Tatum
The Celtics wasted no time targeting Brooklyn's undersized guards offensively from the opening tip. In the Nets' starting lineup, that meant Cam Thomas, while with the reserves, it was often Dennis Schroder. Boston routinely put both guards in the pick-and-roll, forcing switches against Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and others.
Brooklyn had no answers. Tatum exploded for 31 first-half points on 10-of-17 shooting. Boston shot 26-of-48 from the field (54.2 percent) and 8-of-19 from three (42 percent) on their way to a 15-point halftime lead.
Bringing the house down with this JAMMM 🔨 pic.twitter.com/XFD9PfbBIe
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 14, 2024
Tatum finished with a game-high 41 points on 14-of-26 shooting from the field, 5-of-11 from three and 8-of-8 from the free-throw line. The five-time All-Star is averaging 27.0 points per game this season, the 10th most in the NBA, on 47/36/82 shooting splits while leading the Celtics to a league-best 42-12 record.
Cam Thomas and Mikal Bridges nearly lead late rally
It was a forgettable first half for Thomas against the NBA's top team. The 22-year-old scored seven points on 2-of-5 shooting while frequently being hunted defensively by Boston's wing duo of Tatum and Brown.
However, Thomas bounced back in the second half, scoring 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting while nearly leading Brooklyn back from a 23-point deficit. The shooting guard's defense also improved substantially as the game progressed. The Nets held the Celtics to 46 second-half points, with Tatum scoring 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting over the final two periods.
.@24_camthomas is starting to cook 🪣 pic.twitter.com/TWnB8xgWOS
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 14, 2024
Mikal Bridges scored a team-high 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting in the loss. The 27-year-old has averaged 22.9 points on 46/42/73 shooting splits over his last 13 appearances.
Looking ahead
The loss drops the Nets to 21-32, two-and-a-half games back of the Atlanta Hawks for the last spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. Brooklyn will travel to Boston Wednesday for another matchup with the Celtics before the All-Star break.
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