MPJ, Nets beat Celtics; Jaylen Brown calls for more effort: Takeaways

The Celtics have been completely outplayed by Michael Porter Jr. and the Nets on Friday, falling 113-105 in a loss that drew a name to motion from Jaylen Brown.

Listed here are the takeaways.

Michael Porter Jr. killed the Celtics with one play.

Porter Jr. acquired sizzling within the fourth quarter, scoring 16 of his 33 factors within the interval with a flurry of pictures from all around the ground.

Porter, nevertheless, set the stage for his fourth-quarter takeover earlier with a single set that the Nets ran again and again, confounding the Celtics practically each time.

The set wasn’t difficult: Porter Jr. merely began within the nook, ran off a dribble hand-off display on the high of the important thing and both drove (if the defender trailed him across the display) or rose up and fired a 3-pointer utilizing his 6’10 body to get a clear look.

The Celtics, for no matter purpose, had no solutions, and when the Nets began to get shaky within the fourth quarter because the lead slipped as little as two with TD Backyard roaring, Porter’s run stymied the keenness solely.

The Celtics have been with out Jaylen Brown for some time.

Brown, who completed the sport with 26 factors on 9-for-18 capturing, gave an unlucky object lesson in how vital it’s for a famous person participant to worth their fouls.

The issue really started within the second quarter, when Brown picked up his third with just below a minute remaining. Then, just below a minute into the third quarter, Brown picked up his fourth foul – a really unlucky sequence of occasions for the Celtics, since he then was prone to a fifth. That one got here with just below six minutes remaining when he smacked Terance Mann within the face as he tried to interrupt free from Mann, who was grabbing his hip. Joe Mazzulla challenged the play hoping that Mann’s contact can be sufficient to overturn the decision, however the problem was unsuccessful and a disgruntled Brown was compelled to sit down.

Over the subsequent 5 minutes, the Celtics fell aside, trailing by as many as 18 earlier than they spent a lot of the fourth making an attempt to place the items again collectively once more.

So many video games within the NBA are received or misplaced on the margins, and if Brown might have gone 51 seconds with out committing a foul within the second quarter, his fast one firstly of the third won’t have been so damaging.

As an alternative, the Celtics dug themselves a gap that in the end proved too deep to scale their manner out.

Brown stated the Celtics didn’t play onerous sufficient.

A less-than-pleased Brown was requested what occurred defensively after the sport, and he initially tried to take a diplomatic tack.

“I’m unsure,” he stated. “I assume we’ve acquired to take a look at the movie and see what occurred tomorrow, however I’m unsure what occurred tonight.”

When pressed barely, nevertheless, Brown surrendered his actual ideas.

“What’s my preliminary takeaway? Come able to play, or don’t play in any respect,” he stated. “That’s my entire factor. We’ve acquired to return able to play. We simply went via the motions immediately. I don’t perceive it.”

Mazzulla and the remainder of the Celtics have been sincere all 12 months about how a lot tougher the Celtics should play this season, which isn’t only a name to dive all around the ground for each free ball – taking part in onerous additionally means consideration to element, boxing out and maximizing each attainable alternative to realize a bonus with a much less gifted roster.

“We have to play with an edge defensively and offensively,” Brown stated. “We’ve acquired to be the tougher taking part in group. That may’t be negotiable. And tonight we weren’t. Brooklyn was the tougher taking part in group. They performed with extra edge they usually deserved to win tonight.”

Mazzulla agreed.

“We have now to play at such a special degree bodily, mentally,” he stated. “We have now to play at a special degree to be at our greatest. If we don’t play at that degree bodily or mentally at our greatest, we might lose any night time to anyone.”

Mazzulla and Brown credited the Nets repeatedly for taking part in effectively, however the subtext was clear: The Celtics can lose to anyone, together with a Nets group that improved to 3-12 with Friday’s win. The Celtics will want as many wins as they will get down the stretch to make a playoff push, which provides a loss like Friday’s a bit additional sting.

Anfernee Simons performed considered one of his higher video games.

Filling in for Brown because the group’s main scorer, Simons put collectively considered one of his higher performances.

In contrast to his scorching first half in opposition to the Magic earlier this month throughout which he acquired otherworldly sizzling from three, Simons scored in quite a lot of methods – he completed with 23 factors on 10-for-16 capturing whereas ending simply 2-for-6 from behind the arc. Simons was additionally extra aggressive than normal defensively and dished out 4 assists.

“I believed he was one of many higher guards tonight at dealing with their aggressive pick-and-roll protection, whether or not it was hitting the pocket go or beating to the surface leg and being type of dynamic in his offensive assault,” Mazzulla stated. “I believed his presence defensively was most likely the perfect it’s been all season. I believed he performed effectively, and he deserved to be on the market.”

Simons stated filling in for Brown wasn’t “solely tough.”

“I believe I had the ball in my palms a bit bit extra, simply feeling the sport out,” he stated. “I believe I did a fairly good job of it to get us again into the sport. As a unit, we simply made the performs to get again into the sport and type of chipped away. However clearly, it wasn’t sufficient.”

Derrick White had one other robust recreation.

White’s struggles continued on Friday – he completed 2-for-13 from the ground and 1-for-7 from three with three turnovers. Maybe most jarring: He missed layups, together with a driving try with 4:43 remaining that the Celtics actually wanted to remain inside a possession of the Nets.

White is a wonderful defender and an important participant for the Celtics working within the pick-and-roll, however when he struggles to attain, it makes the whole machine extra cumbersome.

“He’s doing okay,” Mazzulla stated. “Didn’t play effectively tonight clearly, missed some straightforward pictures, however total so far as the season goes, I believe his creation in 2-on-1s is likely one of the finest issues he does, getting downhill in pick-and-roll in 2-on-2 and both making the correct play for him or kick out. So he’s simply acquired to proceed to work on it.”

Jordan Walsh and Hugo González are helpful gamers throughout a comeback.

Walsh and González have been the one two Celtics who completed within the positives in plus/minus (+8 and +12 respectively).

Walsh has confirmed himself to be a extremely helpful defender over the previous couple of weeks, which has earned him a recurring spot within the beginning lineup. On Friday, he confirmed one other of his makes use of: In case your group must make a late double-digit push, it definitely doesn’t harm to have a hyper-energetic 21-year-old defensive specialist who thrives at inflicting chaos. Walsh helped the Celtics pace the Nets up throughout an important stretch once they trimmed the deficit whereas Brown remained on the bench in foul hassle, and whereas Walsh solely recorded one steal, his aggressive protection made a distinction. González pitched in as effectively – one other high-energy defender who may cause a bit havoc when the necessity arises.

What’s subsequent

The Celtics have a collection of robust video games looming. They are going to be house for the subsequent two: The Magic go to TD Backyard on Sunday at 6 p.m. earlier than the surging Pistons make an look on Wednesday. They then shut the month of November with a highway back-to-back in opposition to the Timberwolves and Cavaliers subsequent Saturday and Sunday.

“Each recreation is a check.” Brown stated. “Each recreation is a check so I simply take it one recreation at a time. The schedule is the schedule and we simply should preserve going.

“I’m specializing in how can I higher put together myself and the way can I make my teammates higher. However we’ve acquired to have some enthusiasm for the sport. On the finish of the day you’ve acquired to play basketball.”