He capped the week with a Nets’ season-high 30 points and 13 rebounds January 2 as Brooklyn topped the Celtics 100-97 in Boston.
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Isaiah Thomas had 24 points, Jae Crowder 16 and Evan Turner 12 for Boston.
“Basically in comes down to we play down to what records say”, Celtics guard Marcus Smart said. It’s good for our team to do that and probably learn from it. We’ll watch film tomorrow and I’m sure we’re going to watch the first five minutes when we came out really focused, all five guys were engaged. With Jack out, Larkin went 0-for-3 from the field with four turnovers and three personal fouls in the fourth quarter, as the Nets (10-23) almost blew an eight-point lead in the final minute. The Celtics and Nets will meet again Monday in the second half of their home-and-home series. Well after a short stint with the New Orleans Pelicans, Robinson is without a team and would likely sign with Brooklyn if they gave him a call.
Hardaway, 23, has played in five D-League games this season (three with Austin and two with Canton).
They entered a promising three-game stretch that included one game against the Lakers and two against the Nets, teams that are no threat to even challenge for the playoffs. Forward Joe Johnson added 21 points, while center Brook Lopez started slowly before finishing with 19.
Boston Celtics forward Amir Johnson (90) and Celtics center Kelly Olynyk (41) watch from the floor as Brooklyn Nets forward Thaddeus Young (30) goes up for a layup in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 4, 2016, in NY. Young had double-doubles in all four games against the Celtics.
The good news for the Nets, in their first game after losing starting point guard Jarrett Jack for the season, was that they played pretty much as they did when Jack was here. “He’s not afraid of the moment and he stepped up”, coach Brad Stevens said. Despite holding the Nets off with a 15-point cushion for most of the first three quarters, the Nets roared back in the fourth.
Shane Larkin and Donald Sloan are the Nets’ other point guards.
January 2 vs. Denver: Tallied a second consecutive triple-double with 29 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists in a 111-108 overtime win against the Nuggets.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Ersan Ilyasova and Reggie Jackson each scored 12 points for the Pistons (18-16). Boston played far closer to their norm, exhibiting fantastic ball movement and unselfish play while the Nets slumped and stopped hitting the tough shots they made Saturday, stagnating on offense in the process.
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The Celtics kept themselves in the playoff picture but still have a lot of things to figure out with their lineup.
