The Brooklyn Nets hoped a second crack at the Boston Celtics this week would be enough to get them their third win of the season tonight. It was enough for that, a career night for one vet, and some well sought-after rookie progress.
Brooklyn began it with Egor Dëmin, Terance Mann, Michael Porter Jr., Noah Clowney, and Nic Claxton. It feels like we’re at a point now where we can call that their “usual” starting five. Of the group, Clax and Egor handled the early scoring load, but it was their defense holding Boston to a 3-of-11 start from the field that put them up as many as seven in the first.
Jordi Fernández compromised with the rebuild-minded fans by bringing both Tyrese Martin and Drake Powell as the team’s first players off the bench. Ziaire Williams and Day’Ron Sharpe followed shortly. That second unit couldn’t give Brooklyn the same boost they had on Tuesday, as Boston closed the frame on a 16-6 run that put them up 28-22 after one.
But the Nets, with a coach who’s always looking for “that fight,” brought it in the next period, when the Nets jumped back in front via an 11-2 run. Drake Powell threw the hardest punch…
Powell’s athleticism — 43” max vertical — was on display at both ends on the floor Friday, shutting down a handful of Derrick White drives. Yes, a few efforts drew whistles, but you’ll live with that in a battle between a crafty champ and a 19-year-old.
MPJ and Clowney also got involved in the subsequent period. In a year where he’s made noticeable efforts to put the ball on the floor and attack closeouts, Clowney was pressing all the right buttons in the second, going for 14 points while shooting 5-of-7 from the field and 2-of-4 from deep. He also rejected three shots in the first half…
Impressive as that was, this sequence from Dëmin turned a great quarter for Brooklyn into its most encouraging one of the season. The guard/forward once thought to be terrified of the paint looked comfortable as a seven footer down there, using his height to score and then poke away a steal seconds later…
We’ve always known about the passing, And that was on display too, as Dëmin finished off the play and the half by finding Clowney. That put him on early triple double watch (9/5/5), and the Nets ahead 62-53 at the break. There’s not much competition, but that still represented their second largest lead at half all season.
While he’s now seen as an unc at the ripe age of 26, it’d be an injustice to not shoutout Claxton for his first half efforts either. He pitched in 12 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in the first half. He was also a game high +20 at that point. More on him later.
The Nets continued to run the offense through Claxton DHOs heading into the third, leveraging the threat he poses as a driver that’s at an all-time high right now. However, they never pushed it into blowout stage. This time, Boston battled back with help from Jaylen Brown, who had nine points in the period seven minutes deep into it.
Boston looked on track to retake the lead until Brown picked up his fifth foul with 5:22 to go in the third. The Nets paid top dollar to vault Boston’s top gun. On the play, Mann took a shot on the face from Jaylen Brown, trying to fend him off of his hip while driving to the basket. That forced Joe Mazzula to feature Baylor Scheierman and Sam Hauser more in the rotation, who Porter Jr. and company picked on en route to a 92-77 lead after three.
But this year, any wins the Nets pull in aren’t expected to be easy, and this one proved to be no different. Boston opened on a 11-2 run to make it a six-point game with about eight to play. It was around then when Brown checked back into the game. The Boston crowd followed him from bench to scorer’s table, their cheers and hopes, reaching their loudest point of the night after a Simons lay-in made it a four point game. The Nets, the youngest team in the league, started to look the part, fumbling passes and missing box-outs as the pressure mounted.
But what looked to at first be their damnation eventually became their salvation. Dëmin, with no regard for the tank nor the wishes of the many Bostonians in attendance, walked down the floor seconds later and nailed a cold step-back three, perhaps the biggest shot of his career going back to Moscow …
“I think it tells you the type of kid he is, even-keeled, not afraid of the moment, shot looks good,” Fernández said of the shot. “I’m not going to always ask for the ball to go in. I think if he shoots it, I believe it’s going in. And it just tells you that he keeps making the right play every time, and when you do it, then those big shots go in.”
“I thought that 3 that Egor hit was the biggest offensive play of the game. It really turned the tides. They cut it to two. [We] get that 3 to go five, and then from there, we found a few more baskets,” Porter added.
The “old guys” then took it from there. Porter Jr., 27, mixed in a variety of tough shots to build Brooklyn’s lead back up. He finished the game with 33 points, two assists, and eight rebounds, after shooting 13—of-21 from the field and 4-of-6 from deep. He scored 16 points in the fourth and the Nets final 14 in the frame and game. Claxton, all of 10 months younger, found him for two of them that might be the highlight in the night despite ample competition.
“I think that the cool thing, it was not him by himself,” Fernández said. “It was Terrance setting up the play, Egor screening, giving different looks and getting him open, and then obviously Mike doing the rest, and Nic also with playmaking right there. So he made those shots, but also his teammates put him in the right spots to be successful.”
Claxton finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists. Claxton might’ve had the roughest moment of his career struggling at the line in Boston three and a half years ago … under the postseason spotlight. He also shot 1-of-9 from the field three nights ago. But tonight, in Boston, he notched the first triple double of his career…
“All the credit to him,” Fernández said of Claxton. “He’s worked on his dribble handoffs, his low levels, his drives to the rim, being aggressive, and put it together. Now, his rebounding is really taking the next step. That’s what I was on him…I’m proud of him. Very happy for him, and without him, we don’t get one.”
After Porter Jr. snuck behind the defense for another dunk that put the Nets up 12 with 1:25 left, everyone realized the Nets were about to get their first win against the Celtics since 2023. Time trickled away and Boston didn’t even bother trying to play the foul game.
“We punch back, and it goes from Egor’s big shot and then Mike towards the end going into video game mode,” Fernández said. “But the reality is, we got enough stops and rebounds to survive their punch. And even though we lost the fourth quarter, we did good enough things.”
It’s understandable to have gone into this season wanting the Nets to lose every contest and earn a high chance a top lottery pick this summer. But I’d guess even the most committed tank commanders wouldn’t be mad if the Nets somehow made the playoffs largely thanks to help from their newly acquired young talent. One fan in particular captured the moment…
I highly doubt the Nets will make the playoffs or play-in, but part of that dream scenario unfolded in front of them tonight. Dëmin finished with 12 points, five assists, six rebounds, and hit the biggest shot of the game against a geographic rival. Powell locked up defenders left and right en route to nine points and two boards while shooting 3-of-4 from the field. Noah Clowney, who if you didn’t know, is younger than Danny Wolf, went for 19 points and rejected three shots. The Nets also beat the wretched Boston Celtics.
“Come ready to play, or don’t play at all,” an agitated Brown said postgame. “That’s my whole thing. We’ve gotta come ready to play. We just went through the motions today. Like, I don’t understand it.”
You’re welcome to disagree with me, but I think it’s okay to enjoy this one
Final: Brooklyn Nets 113, Boston Celtics 105
Egor Dëmin had 9 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST in the first half vs Boston, becoming the fifth Nets rookie with 5+ REB and 5+ AST in a single half since tracking began in 1997-98. He joined Drew Timme (2025), Rai’Quan Gray (2023), Terrence Williams (2x, 2010) and Kenyon Martin (2x, 2001).Claxton now has 79 career double-doubles, one behind Keith Van Horn (80) for the ninth-most in franchise history.Claxton’s triple double is the first triple-double by a Net since Ben Simmons on 1/17/23Michael Porter Jr. (21 points on 8-15 FG and 3-4 3PT) has scored 20+ points for his eighth consecutive game, extending his career-long streak. This is also the highest-scoring eight-game span of his career.Noah Clowney has tied his season high of 19 points (vs DET, 11/7/25) tonight against Boston. He now has scored 10+ points with 2+ 3PM in eight of his last nine games. His 14.3 ppg (and counting) in this stretch is the highest-scoring nine-game span of his career.
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Brooklyn stays on the road this weekend to play the Toronto Raptors on Sunday afternoon. They beat the Nets less than two weeks ago and are early candidates to be this year’s Detroit Pistons, having won nine of their last 10 and sitting second in the East. It’s too early to tell if they’re really that good, and we can’t expect the 2-13 Nets to be their litmus test, but they will play them. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. EST.