RECAP - Nets: 105, Celtics: 121
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Mason Plumlee, PF 11 MIN | 2-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 2 BLK | 2 TO | 4 PTS | -6
The FIBA gold medalist finished the game with just 11 minutes played after averaging well over 20 minutes in the preseason. The strong performance from Mirza Teletovic limited his time to make an impact, but the second-year forward made some defensive mistakes early that must have frustrated Lionel Hollins enough to limit his playing time. |
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Bojan Bogdanovic, SF 26 MIN | 3-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 7 PTS | -8
Bogdanovic got the start and attempted to take advantage a cross-match with Rajon Rondo early, but the Celtics point guard was crafty enough to limit the height advantage from the Croatian swingman. After his advantage down low was limited, the small forward nabbed just seven points on 50 percent shooting. |
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Kevin Garnett, C 23 MIN | 5-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 4 TO | 10 PTS | -11
The Big Ticket played 23 minutes in the season opener and notched 10 points along with six boards against his old team in Boston. Garnett does deserve some of the blame for allowing Kelly Olynyk to score 19 points on 8 of 14 shooting, as the youngster beat KG in transition and cuts to the basket multiple times. |
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Deron Williams, PG 39 MIN | 6-16 FG | 7-7 FT | 3 REB | 8 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK | 4 TO | 19 PTS | -16
In 39 minutes of action, Williams shot 6 of 16 from the field for 19 points. The point guard opted for a lot of isolation looks from mid-range and struggled to finish at the basket, shooting just 33 percent from the restricted area. Williams failed to make a 3-pointer in the game, but did tally eight assists and a pair of steals. |
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Joe Johnson, SG 34 MIN | 7-19 FG | 3-5 FT | 6 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 19 PTS | -30
Johnson continued the trend of inefficiency in the backcourt by shooting 36 percent from the field in 34 minutes of action. Like Williams, Johnson scored 19 points, but failed to score well in the restricted area. He finished the game shooting 2 of 5 from beyond the arc, but just 3 of 10 from inside the paint. |
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Mirza Teletovic, PF 23 MIN | 8-11 FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 2 BLK | 2 TO | 20 PTS | +4
As one of the only bright spots for the Nets, Teletovic came off the bench to score 20 points on 8 of 11 shooting from the field in 23 minutes of action. The 29-year-old spread the floor better than anyone else on the team by shooting 4 of 6 from beyond the arc with the rest of the team shooting just 23 percent. |
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Jarrett Jack, PG 30 MIN | 5-9 FG | 1-2 FT | 2 REB | 2 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 11 PTS | -7
Jack played the third-most minutes on the team as he came off the bench to score 11 points with a pair of rebounds, assists and steals. Outside of his 5 of 9 shooting from the field, Jack failed to produce a spark as the leader of the bench unit. |
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Lionel Hollins
Hollins picked up his first technical of the season after an argument with the officials in the second quarter. In his first regular-season game as head coach of the Nets, Hollins was unable to rally the team to come back from a 67-41 halftime deficit. The offense never seemed to find its sense of balance, as Joe Johnson and Deron Williams attempted to score against a potent defensive backcourt from Boston in Avery Bradley, Rajon Rondo and Marcus Smart. |
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Three Things We Saw
- The Nets allowed the Celtics (yes, those Celtics) to 61 percent shooting from the field in the first half. The team seemed unprepared for the amount of off-ball cuts made in Brad Stevens’ offense as Rajon Rondo cut through the Brooklyn defense with 12 assists.
- The Nets only led once, at the beginning of the game when a pair of free throws opened play for Brooklyn. Although the Nets tried to make a run to begin the fourth quarter, the deficit didn’t fall under 19 points as Boston’s defensive backcourt made it difficult for the Nets to initiate the offense.
- Between Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, the Nets played a lot of isolation ball in the first half to deepen their deficit. Although the Brooklyn backcourt scored 19 points each, most of those were outside the design of Hollins’ offensive system. Johnson’s post ups and Williams’ pull-up jumpers limited the rhythm of the offensive unit.
