The Nets followed the biggest NBA upset in recent memory with one of the worst defensive performances in team history.
All those good vibes the Nets had after Tuesday’s win over the Bucks got flushed a day later with this humbling 149-115 loss to the Celtics at ESPN Wide World of Sports.
“Wish we would’ve had more competitive spirit starting the game, especially in the first half,” Caris LeVert said. “They took advantage of it.”
The Nets were willing victims. In a desultory non-effort, they coughed up the fifth-most points in franchise history, and second-most in a regulation game behind only the 151 they served up to the Spurs in 1978.
“It had nothing to do with them having more talent, this or that, being a better team overall. It was just strictly the fact that they played harder than us, and we can’t have that while we’re down here,” Joe Harris said. “We have to be able to compete night-in and night-out, not beat ourselves.
Nets players only can watch as Robert Williams slams one home during the Celtics’ 149-115 blowout win on Wednesday night.Getty Images“We know that’s a tough road ahead of us, but we don’t have the luxury of being able to take a game and not compete, or have a half where we don’t compete. We’re going to have to play balls to the wall, 110 percent every single person, every night that we’re down here.”
The Nets also squandered a chance to seal a postseason berth. They stayed seventh in the East, a half-game ahead of the Magic, whom they face on Aug. 11. But the Nets took the court with a chance to clinch, and never came close.
After LeVert, Harris and Jarrett Allen had all sat out against the Bucks — the biggest point-spread upset in 27 years — the Nets’ Bubble Big 3 were all back Wednesday. It was nowhere near enough.
Harris scored 14 points, but finished a staggering minus-29. LeVert had 13, while heretofore-hot Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot was held to four points on 1-of-5 shooting and a minus-20.
Jeremiah Martin led the Nets with 20 points, mostly in garbage time. But in fairness, garbage time started early in this one.
The Nets couldn’t run Boston off the 3-point line, watching them hit a season-high 20-of-39 from deep. They couldn’t keep the Celtics off the free-throw line, watching them go 29-of-35 from the charity stripe while they were just 17-of-21 themselves.
“We can’t let this loss break us up as a group or deter our spirit,” Harris said. “We have a lot of games left to play down here. We have to bounce back, have a good practice and get ready for Sacramento on Friday.”
The Nets actually caught a couple of breaks with Kemba Walker sitting out to rest and Jayson Tatum (19 points) not playing the entire second quarter after picking up three quick fouls in just six minutes. Turns out the Celtics didn’t need either.
“The fouls was the biggest culprit of the early point differential and some of those fouls,” Jacque Vaughn said with a pause, “weren’t very smart.”
Though the Nets briefly led 24-23 on a Chris Chiozza finger roll with 2:21 left in the first quarter, they proceeded to cough up an extended 20-1 run that spanned deep into the second.
The Nets missed eight straight shots and committed three turnovers in the run, with the Celtics going 9-for-9 from the free-throw line. By the time Boston’s Brad Wanamaker hit a pull-up jumper, the Nets trailed 43-25.
Jaylen Brown (game-high 21) hit a 3 that made it 62-41 with 5:16 left in the half.
The deficit hit 29 after the third quarter, and 147-113 on another Wanamaker layup with 42 seconds left. The final margin was the same.
“We definitely had some breakdowns,” Vaughn said. “Definitely challenge the group to be better on Friday. I think they’ll respond, and it’s an opportunity for us to see how we can regroup.”
