Nets Look to Pass Embarrassment at Home Against the Celtics
On Wednesday night, the Brooklyn Nets got embarrassed in a 120-66 loss to the New York Knicks. Not only does this abysmal loss show the 12-30 Nets have little to no star power on the roster, but the organization is heading down a road with no direction. Brooklyn will have to quickly shake off that horrendous loss and focus on their next matchup on Friday night at home against the Boston Celtics. The Celtics are currently second in the Eastern Conference at 27-16, and even without their star, Jayson Tatum, they’re still showing how much of a force they are. Boston has a chance to embarrass Brooklyn in front of their home crowd, which would only hurt the Nets organization even more heading deeper into the season. Can the Nets get a glimmer of hope, or will we see another disruptive blowout defeat?
The Nets will need their all-star in Michael Porter Jr. to play at the highest level Friday night. If Brooklyn even wants a remote chance of winning this game on Friday, Porter Jr. must play at an elite level. With the 2023 NBA Champion scoring at least 25 points, the Nets have a good chance of pulling off an upset. However, the play of some of the other Nets will factor into the game as well. Cam Thomas needs to stop being inconsistent. Nic Claxton needs to pick up his rebounding totals. Thomas’ five points and Claxton’s four rebounds during Wednesday's loss did not help this team nor hurt this team, yet it only pointed out their flaws as we head a little past the mid-way mark of the season.
Without Tatum, Jaylen Brown has been on a tear for Boston. He’s averaging nearly 30 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and a steal in 34 minutes a game. Derrick White has also been impressive, averaging 18 points a game along with five rebounds and five assists. Boston will keep these two guys as the main focus of their offensive attack. They’ll look to get Brown started off hot as the primary scorer, but White or even Payton Prichard can flip the switch at the drop of a second. Defensively, the Celtics will look to stop the biggest offensive threat on the court in Porter Jr. If they can shut down Porter Jr. or make him have a slow shooting night, this game should be all Boston’s.
The biggest matchup by far in this game is between Porter Jr. and Brown. Both are the best players on their respective teams, and both are being relied on by their organization to make something happen. While any matchup could be an X-factor in this game, Porter Jr. against Brown will be by far the most important. Boston is favored to lead in most of the statistics in this matchup, and rightfully so. They’re the better team, with a true leader and clear direction for the future.
Without any hesitation, the Boston Celtics will win this matchup. They have too many pieces that outclass and outshine Brooklyn. If the Knicks beat the Nets by 54, I would be even more concerned if I were a Nets fan heading into Friday night, as the Celtics can light it up at any opportunity. Boston winning this matchup would not be surprising, as they have too many great pieces surrounding Brown, plus he’s been having a monstrous season.
