MPJ, Nets beat Celtics; Jaylen Brown requires extra effort: Takeaways

Boston Celtics

Boston dug itself a gap that finally proved too deep to scale its manner out.

The Celtics have been completely outplayed by Michael Porter Jr. and the Nets on Friday, falling 113-105 in a loss that drew a name to motion from Jaylen Brown.

Listed below are the takeaways.

Michael Porter Jr. killed the Celtics with one play.

Porter Jr. bought sizzling within the fourth quarter, scoring 16 of his 33 factors within the interval with a flurry of photographs from all around the flooring.

Porter, nonetheless, set the stage for his fourth-quarter takeover earlier with a single set that the Nets ran time and again, confounding the Celtics practically each time.

The set wasn’t sophisticated: Porter Jr. merely began within the nook, ran off a dribble hand-off display on the prime of the important thing and both drove (if the defender trailed him across the display) or rose up and fired a 3-pointer utilizing his 6’10 body to get a clear look.

The Celtics, for no matter motive, had no solutions, and when the Nets began to get shaky within the fourth quarter because the lead slipped as little as two with TD Backyard roaring, Porter’s run stymied the passion fully.

The Celtics have been with out Jaylen Brown for some time.

Brown, who completed the sport with 26 factors on 9-for-18 capturing, gave an unlucky object lesson in how vital it’s for a famous person participant to worth their fouls.

The issue truly started within the second quarter, when Brown picked up his third with slightly below a minute remaining. Then, slightly below a minute into the third quarter, Brown picked up his fourth foul – a really unlucky sequence of occasions for the Celtics, since he then was vulnerable to a fifth. That one got here with slightly below six minutes remaining when he smacked Terance Mann within the face as he tried to interrupt free from Mann, who was grabbing his hip. Joe Mazzulla challenged the play hoping that Mann’s contact could be sufficient to overturn the decision, however the problem was unsuccessful and a disgruntled Brown was pressured to sit.

Over the subsequent 5 minutes, the Celtics fell aside, trailing by as many as 18 earlier than they spent many of the fourth attempting to place the items again collectively once more.

So many video games within the NBA are received or misplaced on the margins, and if Brown might have gone 51 seconds with out committing a foul within the second quarter, his fast one at the beginning of the third may not have been so damaging.

As an alternative, the Celtics dug themselves a gap that finally proved too deep to scale their manner out.

Brown stated the Celtics didn’t play laborious sufficient.

A less-than-pleased Brown was requested what occurred defensively after the sport, and he initially tried to take a diplomatic tack.

“I’m undecided,” he stated. “I suppose we’ve bought to take a look at the movie and see what occurred tomorrow, however I’m undecided what occurred tonight.”

When pressed barely, nonetheless, Brown surrendered his actual ideas.

“What’s my preliminary takeaway? Come able to play, or don’t play in any respect,” he stated. “That’s my entire factor. We’ve bought to return able to play. We simply went by the motions right this moment. I don’t perceive it.”

Mazzulla and the remainder of the Celtics have been sincere all yr about how a lot more durable the Celtics need to play this season, which isn’t only a name to dive all around the flooring for each unfastened ball – enjoying laborious additionally means consideration to element, boxing out and maximizing each doable alternative to realize a bonus with a much less proficient roster.

“We have to play with an edge defensively and offensively,” Brown stated. “We’ve bought to be the more durable enjoying staff. That may’t be negotiable. And tonight we weren’t. Brooklyn was the more durable enjoying staff. They performed with extra edge they usually deserved to win tonight.”

Mazzulla agreed.

“We’ve got to play at such a special stage bodily, mentally,” he stated. “We’ve got to play at a special stage to be at our greatest. If we don’t play at that stage bodily or mentally at our greatest, we might lose any evening to anyone.”

Mazzulla and Brown credited the Nets repeatedly for enjoying nicely, however the subtext was clear: The Celtics can lose to anyone, together with a Nets staff that improved to 3-12 with Friday’s win. The Celtics will want as many wins as they will get down the stretch to make a playoff push, which supplies a loss like Friday’s a bit of further sting.

Anfernee Simons performed one among his higher video games.

Filling in for Brown because the staff’s major scorer, Simons put collectively one among his higher performances.

Not like his scorching first half in opposition to the Magic earlier this month throughout which he bought otherworldly sizzling from three, Simons scored in a wide range of methods – he completed with 23 factors on 10-for-16 capturing whereas ending simply 2-for-6 from behind the arc. Simons was additionally extra aggressive than normal defensively and dished out 4 assists.

“I assumed he was one of many higher guards tonight at dealing with their aggressive pick-and-roll protection, whether or not it was hitting the pocket cross or beating to the surface leg and being form of dynamic in his offensive assault,” Mazzulla stated. “I assumed his presence defensively was most likely the very best it’s been all season. I assumed he performed nicely, and he deserved to be on the market.”

Simons stated filling in for Brown wasn’t “fully troublesome.”

“I feel I had the ball in my arms a bit of bit extra, simply feeling the sport out,” he stated. “I feel I did a reasonably good job of it to get us again into the sport. As a unit, we simply made the performs to get again into the sport and form of chipped away. However clearly, it wasn’t sufficient.”

Derrick White had one other powerful sport.

White’s struggles continued on Friday – he completed 2-for-13 from the ground and 1-for-7 from three with three turnovers. Maybe most jarring: He missed layups, together with a driving try with 4:43 remaining that the Celtics actually wanted to remain inside a possession of the Nets.

White is a wonderful defender and a vital participant for the Celtics working within the pick-and-roll, however when he struggles to attain, it makes the whole machine extra cumbersome.

“He’s doing okay,” Mazzulla stated. “Didn’t play nicely tonight clearly, missed some straightforward photographs, however total so far as the season goes, I feel his creation in 2-on-1s is likely one of the greatest issues he does, getting downhill in pick-and-roll in 2-on-2 and both making the best play for him or kick out. So he’s simply bought to proceed to work on it.”

Jordan Walsh and Hugo González are helpful gamers throughout a comeback.

Walsh and González have been the one two Celtics who completed within the positives in plus/minus (+8 and +12 respectively).

Walsh has confirmed himself to be a extremely helpful defender over the previous few weeks, which has earned him a recurring spot within the beginning lineup. On Friday, he confirmed one other of his makes use of: In case your staff must make a late double-digit push, it actually doesn’t harm to have a hyper-energetic 21-year-old defensive specialist who thrives at inflicting chaos. Walsh helped the Celtics velocity the Nets up throughout a vital stretch after they trimmed the deficit whereas Brown remained on the bench in foul bother, and whereas Walsh solely recorded one steal, his aggressive protection made a distinction. González pitched in as nicely – one other high-energy defender who may cause a bit of havoc when the necessity arises.

What’s subsequent

The Celtics have a collection of powerful video games looming. They are going to be house for the subsequent two: The Magic go to TD Backyard on Sunday at 6 p.m. earlier than the surging Pistons make an look on Wednesday. They then shut the month of November with a highway back-to-back in opposition to the Timberwolves and Cavaliers subsequent Saturday and Sunday.

“Each sport is a check.” Brown stated. “Each sport is a check so I simply take it one sport at a time. The schedule is the schedule and we simply need to maintain going.

“I’m specializing in how can I higher put together myself and the way can I make my teammates higher. However we’ve bought to have some enthusiasm for the sport. On the finish of the day you’ve bought to play basketball.”