Brooklyn lost a game they should have won on Tuesday night. The Nets fell 125-124 to the Celtics in overtime after a rookie error gave Jayson Tatum the ball for a game-winning shot.
This was not a fluke. It was a breakdown in execution that cost the team a chance to win. The effort was better than their last game, but the result was the same. Defeat.
A Costly Mistake by the Rookie
Rookie Mikel Brown Jr. had 13 points in the fourth quarter. He hit a big three-pointer with approximately three-tenths of a second left to force overtime. But he missed two layups late in the extra period. One attempt came with the shot clock off. This poor choice allowed Boston to get the ball back.
According to the New York Post, that mistake opened the door for Tatum. The Nets had a 124-123 lead before Brown missed a driving layup. A foul call was reversed after a challenge, but the damage was done. Brown missed another layup attempt with 2.3 seconds left. The Celtics rebounded and set up the final play.
The players made a bad switch on the last play. They did not keep Noah Clowney’s size on Tatum. The Celtics star was too big. That mismatch decided the game. Per the New York Post, the Nets should not have switched. The mistake cost them the win.
Tatum finished with a game-high 40 points. He also had eight assists and five rebounds. He shot 18 free throws, a career high. He made the 17-foot winner at the buzzer. The crowd at TD Garden numbered 19,156. Every fan saw the Nets lose a game they appeared to have won.
Julius Randle Fouls Out in Heartbreak
Julius Randle scored a dozen points in the comeback. He hit the first two buckets of overtime to give Brooklyn a 121-117 lead. But he fouled out with 24 points on the night. Michael Porter Jr. added 27 points for the Nets. Neither could match Tatum’s output.
The Nets forced 10 turnovers and held Boston to 2-of-16 shooting from deep in the first half. They had a 61-56 lead at halftime. They spent the second half trying to protect it. A five-minute shooting barrage in Cleveland was their only other good stretch this season. This was their best all-around effort of the young season, yet they still lost.
Egor Dëmin was compelled to leave the game during the first half. He had a right leg contusion after knocking legs with Paul George. With 2:22 remaining in the half, the young Russian departed. Limping toward the locker room, he was declared unable to continue for the rest of the night.
Shooting luck favored the Nets, though such fortune was destined to fade. A 77-70 lead remained with 6:40 still in the second half. The loss hurts, but the facts show they had a real chance. The rookie error and the foul trouble were the keys to the collapse. The team needs to fix these late-game reads or more losses will follow.
