The Brooklyn Nets took on a steep challenge on Friday night in their road matchup against the Boston Celtics. Brooklyn played hard and even held the lead for a substantial time. However, the Celtics made a late run and overtook the Nets, winning 108-104 in overtime. Despite the tough defeat, Brooklyn walked away with one key promising takeaway.
During their first eight games of the 2024-25 season, the Nets performed ridiculously poor in rebounding. Brooklyn entered Friday's Celtics matchup ranked 29th (second-to-last) in rebounds per game. However, they improved profoundly in this area.
The Nets outrebounded the Celtics 51-39 on the night. Individual players helped spearhead Brooklyn's battle on the boards, and one of them did not even start.
Nic Claxton totaled 10 rebounds as the starting center, while Cam Johnson recorded eight rebounds. But what was most impressive was Ziaire Williams' team-high 12 rebounds off the bench. Williams is continuing to prove his worth to the Nets in several ways, and it looks like he will only keep improving.
Cam Thomas' offensive outburst not enough
It was unsurprising to see Cam Thomas lead the Nets in scoring again. He amassed an impressive 31 points on 50 percent (11-for-22) shooting from the field and 44.4 percent (4-for-9) on his three-pointers. However, Boston had an answer for Thomas: Jayson Tatum.
Tatum led the Celtics' late push to regain the lead and eventually win the game. The All-Star forward finished with a game-high 33 points in addition to nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Tatum's effort was boosted by Payton Pritchard, who scored 20 points off the bench.
On the bright side, the Nets gave the Celtics a run for their money the entire game and outscored them in the paint 54-50. In some of their earlier games, Brooklyn showed they can close well, but Friday was not their day.
Jordi Fernandez must be happy with how the Nets competed though, and with Nic Claxton back in the starting lineup, Brooklyn seems to have found a good flow. Ben Simmons came off the bench and played his role well, totaling eight points, eight assists, and six rebounds. Yet, he still has not fulfilled Fernandez's request to shoot 10 to 15 shot attempts per game.
Friday's loss is not a setback, but Brooklyn will need to learn from the defeat fairly quickly, as they are taking on the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers on the road on Saturday night.