Celtics at Nets
Brooklyn has a great chance to get back into the win column when it hosts struggling Boston on Wednesday. The Nets made a surge back to .500 with six wins in seven games before suffering two straight narrow defeats, the latest an overtime loss to Dallas in the opener of a three-game homestand on Monday. Forward Kevin Garnett took the night off to rest and point guard Deron Williams sat due to a sore hip as Brooklyn was held under 90 points for the second time in a row.
The Nets topped the Celtics on the road the day after Christmas, part of a 1-7 swoon for Boston that bottomed out with a 104-95 home loss to shorthanded Charlotte on Monday. Jared Sullinger did his part with 22 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots but his fellow starters provided little support in the Celtics' third straight setback overall, which drew the ire of head coach Brad Stevens, some of it directed at himself. "I'm not doing a very good job," Stevens told reporters. "We're not playing well, and we're playing almost -- it's not good basketball."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN New England (Boston), YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE CELTICS (11-21): Stevens said he would worry about rotations once his team begins to play better basketball, and during the poor effort Monday night he was trying a bit of everything. Sullinger was the lone Celtic to play more than 30 minutes but one of 12 players to appear in at least 10 minutes as the wealth of playing time was spread thin. Among those who took advantage of their opportunities was rookie James Young, who had a career-high 13 points after returning from a D-League stint, and fellow reserve Jae Crowder, who has scored in double figures in four of his last five games after reaching the 10-point mark just three times in 25 games with Dallas prior to coming over in the Rajon Rondo trade.
ABOUT THE NETS (16-18): With Garnett and Williams sidelined a season-long issue reared its ugly head for Brooklyn on Monday, when a thin bench gave very little on the offensive end. Four reserves combined for 11 points on 3-of-17 shooting while Dallas' bench put forth five players who had a collective 41 points on 16-of-27 shooting. The Nets' bench entered Tuesday ranked 26th in foul shooting (69.3), 27th in field-goal percentage (41 percent) and 28th from beyond the arc (29.2).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Nets C Brook Lopez is averaging 20.8 points and 8.3 rebounds over his last four games.
2. Celtics F Jeff Green is 7-for-31 from the floor over a two-game stretch.
3. Brooklyn PG Jarrett Jack had 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists in his team's win at Boston last month.