“They’ll play a lot better today”, he warned an hour before tip-off. Turner’s minutes should rise with Marcus Smart (leg) on the shelf for a few weeks, and he’s worth a look as a low-end source of scoring, rebounds, assists and steals.
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Forward Blake Griffin, one of three Clippers starters who failed to score in the first quarter, had a forgettable half, missing both of his field-goal attempts and coming up empty in more than nine minutes. Boston tried to come back from a 22-point second-half deficit, but could not string together enough good basketball and fell, 111-101, in a game that hurt twice because of draft implications.
The Celtics couldn’t rely on Marcus Smart to supply his trademark energy, and it showed early in Sunday’s contest.
After the Nets gained a 24-19 lead to close out the first period, they became unstoppable in the second, posting two 10-0 runs.
Turner, on the other hand, is not expected to miss any time due to injury but was diagnosed with a “right leg strain” – an injury he’s been dealing with since the preseason. Too many players tried 3-pointers off the dribble, like they forgot the offense runs on ball movement and crisp cuts. That was their third straight loss against the Celtics.
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Back-to-back stops on Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas – the first when Lopez clogged his way to the rim and forced a miss, and the second when Young gave up his body to draw a charge with 2:48 left – slowed Boston’s momentum and let the Nets regain a few control, up 102-94. Andrea Bargnani stuck to his hot potato method of playing, but tonight it worked out as he finished with 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting. For the rest of the night, the Celtics kicked themselves.
