Thomas’ 31 not enough as nets fall for Celtics in OT

In the first of the Brooklyn Nets’ three straight road games, a monstrous 31-point performance from Cam Thomas wasn’t enough to eliminate the reigning champion Boston Celtics. The Nets’ chances seemed long early on, but another late-game collapse resulted in a 108–104 overtime loss.

Much like the narrow overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets, Brooklyn started the first quarter on a heater. The Nets jumped out to a 12-0 lead within two minutes, thanks to a combined 11 points from Cam Thomas and Cam Johnson. While Brooklyn’s two sharpshooters went to work, Boston couldn’t muster anything offensively. The Celtics fell behind by as many as 14, but began to chip away at the Nets’ hot start.

Eventually, without Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum started playing at the MVP level you would expect. He connected on three of his six three-point attempts and scored 11 points in the opening stanza. Brooklyn gave up multiple bombs from deep to Boston’s depth, allowing Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard to sink from beyond the arc upon entering the ballgame. Despite the dominant opening, the Nets only led by four points heading into the second quarter.

Pritchard’s immediate boost was a sign of things to come as the 26-year-old took the place of the often dangerous Derrick White. His craftiness both inside and outside the three-point line cut into Brooklyn as the Nets slowly saw their lead dwindle. Fortunately, Thomas not only matched but exceeded Pritchard’s 14 points in the first half.

Although Brooklyn did not have as big a lead as it had in the first quarter, a 20-point half from Thomas prevented the Nets from ever falling behind. The reigning champion became visibly frustrated with the scoreboard, and after a messy sequence between Tatum and Dennis Schröder, the former was assessed a technical foul. Tatum didn’t let the slip-up slow him down and still scored 14 points of his own, but Brooklyn had a two-point lead at the halftime buzzer.

Johnson hit first out of the break, connecting on a trey ball from the corner, but that would be the only bucket for the Nets on their first six attempts in the third quarter. The Celtics fought back and evened the score for the first time of the night on a Derrick White hoop plus the damage. Amid the back and forth, Tatum enjoyed an 11-point quarter, but that wouldn’t be enough to give Boston the lead.

Ben Simmons, filling a reserve role for the first time this season, starred as the Nets’ primary facilitator. His orchestration put Brooklyn on a 7-0 run that was quickly answered by a four-point burst from Tatum. As time expired in the third, Simmons spun through two defenders and delivered a beautiful no-look laser to Ziaire Williams, giving the Nets a lead of two with twelve minutes to play.

With Tatum taking an extended break from the Celtics’ bench, but outside of a Schröder floater, Brooklyn was unable to capitalize. The 31-year-old veteran guard’s basket accounted for the Nets’ only goal in their first six attempts, but a lackluster push from Boston preserved Brooklyn’s lead. Both teams’ scoring stagnated down the stretch, but the drama started in the final two minutes of the game.

Hauser buried a corner three to give the Celtics a one-point lead, but Thomas quickly answered by drawing a foul on an attempted drive. Unusually, he converted only one in two from the charity stripe, failing to regain the lead but making it 92. The Nets’ chances looked bleak after Tatum beat his backcourt defender and threw down a vicious strike within 30 seconds. to play. Luckily, Johnson made another mistake with seven seconds left, connecting on both attempts and sending the game into overtime.

Both teams came out of regulation well, trading baskets during the first four minutes of extra action. Jrue Holiday put a floater above Schröder, who immediately responded with a lay-in of his own. Late in the period, Al Horford broke the tie by drilling a corner three and putting the pressure back on Brooklyn. With the shot clock running down on what was essentially the Nets’ last shot to extend the game, Thomas was unable to shake off Tatum on a would-be tie at three. Time finally ran out as Boston escaped the early theatrics with a narrow victory.

Now 4-5, the Nets travel to Cleveland tomorrow night to take on their former head coach Kenny Atkinson and the now 10-0 Cavaliers.

To access the final box score of the Brooklyn Nets’ loss to the Boston Celtics, click here.

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