Recap: Nets 100, Celtics 97 - Nets Survive Late After Jack Goes Down
Brooklyn was in a rare situation on Saturday afternoon. On a road game against a division opponent, the 10-23 Nets were cruising with a double digit lead.
Things were almost going too well for those that know Brooklyn’s history of bad luck and poor performances. Brook Lopez was exceeding his already impressive play as of late, scoring a season-high 30 points. Jarrett Jack was struggling to score, but picked up nine assists and helped the rest of the starters score in double digits. The game took on a new form, however, when Jack went down with what looked like a scary knee injury.
Although the team later called it a sprain, the injury shook the Nets. With Shane Larkin seeing the majority of Jack’s minutes in the fourth quarter, the Celtics came back to make things interesting. They outscored the Nets 26-19 in the final frame and had a chance to force overtime with a Tyler Zeller 3-point attempt that was missed.
- The Brooklyn bench didn’t have much to add to the victory, shooting 7-of-18 as a unit and getting outscored by Boston’s second unit 41-19.
- Before Jack went down he attempted to throw down with Jared Sullinger, who fouled Lopez hard early in the third quarter.
- Lopez and Joe Johnson combined to score half of the points for Brooklyn. Johnson added 20 points on 9-of-19 shooting to Lopez’s 30.
- Larkin picked up 24 minutes of play in part due to Jack’s injury. He struggled against Boston’s perimeter defense, failing to score from the field and picking up four turnovers.
- Lopez picked up his fourth straight double-double, as his impressive play from December continued into January.
- Although the injury probably didn’t help, this continues the trend of Brooklyn struggling to close out games.
The Nets will face the Celtics again, this time at home, on Jan. 4 at 2:30 p.m. EST.
