Celtics at Nets
The Brooklyn Nets put a 10-game home winning streak on the line Friday night when they take on the Boston Celtics. Brooklyn's run at the Barclays Center - the franchise's longest at home since a 12-gamer in 2005-06 - has helped push them into fifth place alone in the Eastern Conference entering Thursday, just two games behind fourth-place Chicago and 2 1/2 back of Atlantic Division-leading Toronto. Deron Williams continued his solid stretch run with 25 points and eight assists in a 104-99 home win over Charlotte on Wednesday.
The victory was the ninth in the last 11 games for the Nets, with one of the two losses during that stretch coming at Boston on March 7, when Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo produced 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in a 91-84 decision. Boston soon thereafter began a five-game losing streak, but snapped it Wednesday with a 101-96 triumph over the LeBron James-less Miami Heat at home Wednesday. Rondo had 15 assists and made a pair of big baskets late in the game to help Boston complete a second-half rally.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN New England (Boston), YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE CELTICS (23-46): Rondo continues to look more like himself as he increases his intensity just over two months after returning from ACL surgery. Over a 10-game span, which includes two games off in the second half of back-to-back, he is averaging 12.8 points and 10.8 assists while also committing just 10 turnovers in his last five contests. In addition to his big game in the previous meeting with Brooklyn, Rondo also had 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in an encounter with the Nets on Jan. 26 in Boston.
ABOUT THE NETS (35-31): So much was made of the reunions between Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and their old team when Brooklyn and Boston first met earlier this season, but there hasn't been a lot of activity on the court in that regard. Pierce has a total of 20 points in three games against the Celtics - shooting 6-for-26 in the process - and Garnett is about to miss his second straight meeting with Boston due to back issues. Williams is averaging 17.3 points on 51.3 percent shooting against the Celtics this season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Celtics have lost seven straight on the road.
2. Nets F Andrei Kirilenko is 5-for-22 from the foul line in March.
3. Brooklyn G Joe Johnson is averaging 18.3 points while making 8-of-15 3-pointers over his last three games.