Nets walloped by Celtics a day after huge upset of Bucks

The Nets adopted the most important NBA upset in current memory with one of the worst defensive performances in group record.

All those people superior vibes the Nets experienced soon after Tuesday’s win above the Bucks got flushed a working day later on with this humbling 149-a hundred and fifteen reduction to the Celtics at ESPN Extensive Earth of Athletics.

“Wish we would’ve experienced extra competitive spirit starting up the match, particularly in the very first 50 percent,” Caris LeVert mentioned. “They took gain of it.”

The Nets were being prepared victims. In a desultory non-exertion, they coughed up the fifth-most points in franchise record, and second-most in a regulation match guiding only the 151 they served up to the Spurs in 1978.

“It experienced almost nothing to do with them possessing extra talent, this or that, getting a superior group overall. It was just strictly the actuality that they performed more difficult than us, and we cannot have that whilst we’re down below,” Joe Harris mentioned. “We have to be ready to compete evening-in and evening-out, not beat ourselves.

Nets players only can watch as Robert Williams slams one home during the Celtics' 149-115 blowout win on Wednesday night.
Nets players only can check out as Robert Williams slams one residence in the course of the Celtics’ 149-a hundred and fifteen blowout win on Wednesday evening.Getty Photographs

“We know that is a difficult street ahead of us, but we don’t have the luxury of getting ready to get a match and not compete, or have a 50 percent in which we don’t compete. We’re going to have to play balls to the wall, 110 p.c each solitary man or woman, each evening that we’re down below.”

The Nets also squandered a prospect to seal a postseason berth. They stayed seventh in the East, a 50 percent-match ahead of the Magic, whom they confront on Aug. 11. But the Nets took the court with a prospect to clinch, and never arrived near.

Immediately after LeVert, Harris and Jarrett Allen experienced all sat out against the Bucks — the most important place-distribute upset in 27 a long time — the Nets’ Bubble Significant 3 were being all again Wednesday. It was nowhere close to adequate.

Harris scored 14 points, but concluded a staggering minus-29. LeVert experienced 13, whilst heretofore-warm Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot was held to four points on 1-of-five capturing and a minus-20.

Jeremiah Martin led the Nets with 20 points, mostly in garbage time. But in fairness, garbage time started early in this one.

The Nets couldn’t operate Boston off the 3-place line, looking at them strike a time-superior 20-of-39 from deep. They couldn’t hold the Celtics off the totally free-toss line, looking at them go 29-of-35 from the charity stripe whilst they were being just seventeen-of-21 by themselves.

“We cannot enable this reduction crack us up as a team or discourage our spirit,” Harris mentioned. “We have a ton of video games remaining to play down below. We have to bounce again, have a superior observe and get all set for Sacramento on Friday.”

The Nets essentially caught a couple of breaks with Kemba Walker sitting down out to rest and Jayson Tatum (19 points) not enjoying the total second quarter soon after buying up three speedy fouls in just 6 minutes. Turns out the Celtics did not need possibly.

“The fouls was the most important offender of the early place differential and some of those people fouls,” Jacque Vaughn mentioned with a pause, “weren’t pretty wise.”

Although the Nets briefly led 24-23 on a Chris Chiozza finger roll with 2:21 remaining in the very first quarter, they proceeded to cough up an extended 20-1 operate that spanned deep into the second.

The Nets skipped 8 straight photographs and fully commited three turnovers in the operate, with the Celtics going nine-for-nine from the totally free-toss line. By the time Boston’s Brad Wanamaker strike a pull-up jumper, the Nets trailed 43-twenty five.

Jaylen Brown (match-superior 21) strike a 3 that designed it 62-forty one with five:16 remaining in the 50 percent.

The deficit strike 29 soon after the third quarter, and 147-113 on another Wanamaker layup with 42 seconds remaining. The ultimate margin was the very same.

“We definitely experienced some breakdowns,” Vaughn mentioned. “Definitely challenge the team to be superior on Friday. I think they’ll react, and it is an prospect for us to see how we can regroup.”