Celtics at Nets
The Boston Celtics are playing for the present and the future each time they face the Brooklyn Nets this season, and so far both are looking up. The Celtics will try to sweep the home-and-home set when they visit the Nets on Sunday.
Boston owns Brooklyn’s first-round draft pick in June as part of the deal that sent Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Nets in 2013, and any win against the Atlantic Division rival only increases the Celtics’ draft position. Boston had no trouble winning the first of four meetings Friday at home, shooting 58.6 percent from the field in a 120-95 trouncing. "Obviously, in the big picture, the grand scheme of things, I’m sure it’s something that a lot of people are talking about,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters in reference to the unprotected draft pick. “But I really haven’t heard it come up within our staff or within the players, at least in the discussions I’ve had with them." The pick is looking mighty high so far, with Friday’s setback leaving the Nets tied for the second-worst record in the NBA at 2-11.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, CSN New England (Boston), YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE CELTICS (7-5): While Boston is ensuring its future with its win over Brooklyn, the present is looking better and better as well. The Celtics have won six of their last eight games and are thriving at both ends with an average margin of victory at 17.5 in that span. Boston spreads the points around and had 11 players attempt at least five field goals on Friday while locking down on the defensive end and holding the Nets to 39.3 percent from the field.
ABOUT THE NETS (2-11): Brooklyn let Friday’s game get out of hand when the Celtics put up 43 points on 18-of-21 shooting in the second quarter and cruised into the break with a 66-42 cushion before coasting through the second half. Nets guard and former Celtics draft pick Joe Johnson went 1-of-5 from the field and is shooting 33.6 percent on the season, including 26 percent from 3-point range. Johnson’s struggles opened up some time on Friday for guard Sergey Karasev, who scored five points in 24 minutes after rumors that he wanted a trade filtered out earlier in the week.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Each of the Celtics’ seven wins have come by at least 13 points.
2. Brooklyn rookie G Rondae Hollis-Jefferson recorded his first career-double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds on Friday.
3. Boston G Marcus Smart (knee) was taken for an MRI after the game on Friday and is questionable.