The Brooklyn Nets hoped a second crack at the Boston Celtics would be enough to get them their third win of the season tonight. Instead, it was just rinse and repeat.
Brooklyn began with Egor Dëmin, Terance
Mann, Michael Porter Jr., Noah Clowney, and Nic Claxton again tonight. It feels like we’re at a point now where we can call that their “usual” starting five. Of the group, Clax and Egor handled the early scoring load, but it was their defense holding Boston to a 3-11 start from the field that put them up as many as seven in the first.
Jordi Fernández compromised with the rebuild-minded fans by bringing both Tyrese Martin and Drake Powell as the team’s first players off the bench. Ziaire Williams and Day’Ron Sharpe followed shortly. That second unit couldn’t give Brooklyn the same boost they did on Tuesday, as Boston closed the frame on a 16-6 run that put them up 28-22 after one.
But the Nets, with a coach who’s always looking for “that fight,” got it in the next period, where the Nets jumped back in front via an 11-2 run. Drake Powell threw the hardest punch…
Powell’s athleticism was on display at both ends on the floor, shutting down a handful of Derrick White drives. A few efforts drew whistles, but you’ll live with that in a battle between a crafty champ and a 19-year-old.
MPJ and Clowney also got involved in period two. In a year where he’s made noticeable efforts to put the ball on the floor and attack closeouts, he was pressing all the right buttons, going for 14 points while shooting 5-7 from the field and 2-4 from deep. He also rejected three shots in the first half.
Impressive as that way, this sequence from Dëmin’s turned what was a great quarter for Brooklyn into its most encouraging one so far this season. The guard/forward once thought to be terrified of the paint looked as comfortable as a seven footer down there, using his height to score and then poke away a steal seconds later…
We’ve always known about the passing, but that was display too, as Dëmin finished off the play and the half by finding Clowney. That put him on early triple double watch (9/5/5), and the Nets ahead 62-53 at the break. While there’s not much competition, it still represented their second largest lead at half all the season.
While he’s now seen as an unc, at the ripe age of 26, it’d be an injustice to not shoutout Claxton for his first half efforts either. He pitched in 12 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in the first half. He was also a game high +20 at that point.
The Nets continued to run the offense through Claxton DHOs heading into the third, leveraging the threat he poses as a driver, which has never been higher. However, they never pushed it into blowout stage. This time, Boston battled back with help from Jaylen Brown, who had nine points in the period seven minutes deep into it.
Boston looked on track to retake the lead until Brown picked up his fifth foul with 5:22 to go in the third. The Nets paid top dollar to vault Boston’s top gun. On the play, Terance Mann a shot on the face from Jaylen Brown, trying to fend him off of his hip while driving to the basket.
That forced Joe Mazzula to feature Baylor Scheierman and Sam Hauser more in the rotation, who Porter Jr. and company picked on en route to a 92-77 lead after three.
But this year, any wins the Nets pull in aren’t expected to be easy, and this one proved to be no different. Boston opened on a 11-2 run to make it a six point game with about eight to play. It was around that time where Jaylen Brown checked back into the game. The Nets crowd followed, reaching its loudest point of the game after a Simons lay in made it a four point game. The Nets, the youngest team in the league, started to look the part, fumbling passes and missing box outs as the pressure mounted.
But what looked to at first be their damnation eventually became their salvation. Egor Dëmin, with no regard for the tank nor the wishes of the Bostonians in attendance, walked down the floor seconds later and nailed a cold step-back three.
Then, the “old guys” took over. Michael Porter Jr. mixed in a variety of tough shots to build Brooklyn’s lead back up. He finished the game with 33 points, two assists, and eight rebounds, after shooting 13-21 from the field and 4-6 from deep. He scored 16 points in the fourth and their final 14 in the game. Claxton found him for two of them that might be the highlight in the night despite the ample competition.
Claxton finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists. Claxton might’ve had the roughest moment of his career struggling at the line in Boston during the 2022 playoffs. He also shot 1-9 from the field last game. But tonight, in Boston, he notched the first triple double of his career.
After Porter Jr. snuck behind the defense for another dunk that put the Nets up 12 with 1:25 to play, everyone realized the Nets were about to get their first win agains the Celtics since 2023.
It’s understandable to have gone into this season wanting the Nets to lose every game and earn a high chance a top lottery pick this summer. But I’d guess even the most committed tank commanders wouldn’t be made if the Nets somehow made the playoffs largely thanks to help from their newly acquired young talent.
I doubt the Nets will make the playoffs tonight, but they got part of that dream scenario to happen tonight. Dëmin finished with 12 points, five assists, six rebounds, and hit the biggest shot of the game. Powell locked up defenders left and right en route to nine points and two boards while shooting 3-4 from the field. Noah Clowney, who if you didn’t know, is younger than Danny Wolf, went for 19 points and rejected three shots. The Nets also beat the wretched Boston Celtics. I think it’s okay to enjoy this one.
Final: Brooklyn Nets 113, Boston Celtics 105
Milestone Watch
- Egor Dëmin had 9 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST in the first half vs Boston, becoming the fifth Nets rookie with 5+ REB and 5+ AST in a single half since tracking began in 1997-98. He joined Drew Timme (2025), Rai’Quan Gray (2023), Terrence Williams (2x, 2010) and Kenyon Martin (2x, 2001).
- Claxton now has 79 career double-doubles, one behind Keith Van Horn (80) for the ninth-most in franchise history.
- Noah Clowney has tied his season high of 19 points (vs DET, 11/7/25) tonight against Boston. He now has scored 10+ points with 2+ 3PM in eight of his last nine games. His 14.3 ppg (and counting) in this stretch is the highest-scoring nine-game span of his career.
Next Up
Brooklyn stays on the road this weekend to play the Toronto Raptors on Sunday afternoon. They beat the Nets less than two weeks ago and are early candidates to be this year’s Detroit Pistons, having won nine of their last 10 and sitting second in the East. It’s too early to tell if they’re really that good, and we can’t expect the 2-13 Nets to be their litmus test, but they will play them. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. EST.
