Celtics spirited comeback attempt falls short, lose to Brooklyn 111-101

Two nights after throttling the Nets by 25 points on Friday in Boston, the Celtics ran into a livelier version of Brooklyn on their floor in a 111-101 loss. The C's now fall to 7-6 while their opponent, who they're so closely tied to through their 2016 draft pick, jumped to 3-11.

Brook Lopez poured in 23 points and and 10 rebounds, while a 13 point barrage in the fourth quarter from Jarrett Jack (22 on the game) helped close the books on another late surge from Boston.

The comeback began with a 36-27 third quarter from the C's that helped push a 22 point Brooklyn lead down to six several times in the fourth. Nevertheless, Jack and Lopez were able to routinely answer when the Nets needed it. Boston also turned the ball over 17 times in the game compared to Brooklyn's 14. A reversal of fortunes from Friday night where the C's thrived off 19 takeaways.

Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley, the new Celtics back-court in Marcus Smart's absence, led the push back. Bradley (9-20, 27 points) buried seven of his three-pointers in the frame while Thomas delivered 15 of his 27.

Boston was ultimately able to draw the game as close as 90-86 with 9 minutes to go before a 21-15 Nets run sealed the deal. Brooklyn was helped immensely by a steady Jack and a controversial offensive foul on Jae Crowder's corner three with 1:41 to go.


The Celtics continue to drive forward without Smart, heading to Atlanta for a national TV game against the 9-6 Hawks Tuesday night before returning home to play the 76ers and Wizards at the Garden.


Follow Bobby Manning on Twitter @RealBobManning

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Julie Jacobson