The Boston Celtics are looking to bounce back from their first home loss of the season when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.
On Wednesday, the Celtics lost their second game of the season to the Golden State Warriors, 118-112.
Jayson Tatum, who didn’t get much playing time from Warriors coach Steve Kerr during the Paris Olympics this past summer, scored 32 points, even though he started 2-for-7 in the first half. Boston made a strong comeback in the second half, overcoming a 14-point deficit, but fell short in the end.
“It’s just the little things that we’re going to look back at and be disappointed with ourselves because we definitely could have controlled that outcome,” Celtics guard Payton Pritchard said after facing the Warriors in a rematch of the 2022 NBA Finals.
Derrick White also contributed with 26 points. Neemias Queta had a career-high 14 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks in 28 minutes off the bench.
The Celtics have now played three straight games without Jaylen Brown, who is sidelined with a strained hip flexor. Coach Joe Mazzulla has said he is not too concerned about the injury. Luke Kornet also dealt with right hamstring tightness during Wednesday’s game.
With these absences, Queta has had more opportunities, and he made just his second career start against the Warriors. His defense stood out, particularly when he forced Steph Curry to take tougher shots.
“He’s doing a good job just understanding tendencies,” Mazzulla said. “He’s doing a good job executing the coverages that we have. He forced (Steph Curry) inside a three a couple times to his right hand. … He’s definitely growing.”
The Brooklyn Nets have been resting since their 106-104 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, which was their third win in the last four games. That win brought their record back to an even .500.
“There’s a grit, you know?” Cam Johnson said. “Two of our wins have come on the second night of a back-to-back, which I don’t think we had great success with in the past. … We’re finding ways to win and finding ways to be tough and figured that part of the game out.”
Johnson and Dennis Schroder both scored 20 points in the win over Memphis, with Schroder also adding six assists.
Looking ahead, Nets coach Jordi Fernandez is likely to have his healthiest lineup of the season for Friday’s game, as Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton both practiced on Wednesday.
Claxton returned to the starting lineup on Monday after recovering from a hamstring injury. Simmons, who has been dealing with a back issue, sat out the second game of the back-to-back. He had been playing center during some of Claxton’s absence.
“He is physically getting where he’s supposed to be, and those attempts need to go up. Because then we are all going to benefit from it,” Fernandez said of Simmons. “I don’t care about makes-misses. I just want to see shots going up. He’s more than capable of doing it, so he’ll get there for sure.”
The Nets have been better in back-to-back games this season, winning both of their second games, compared to last season when they were just 4-10 in those situations.
After facing the Celtics, Brooklyn will continue their road trip with a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, who come into that game with a perfect 9-0 record before hosting Golden State on Friday.
