Jayson Tatum shifted Ziaire Williams with a nasty in-n-out dribble, pushed the ball through help, then threw an alley-oop that appeared slightly off target, until Luke Kornet reached skyward with his left hand to thunder the ball down through the hoop.
That play ended the first half between the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics on Saturday evening, the first game of a back-to-back for Brooklyn, a game that felt like the beginning of the end to their season.
Saturday began with an injury report that listed Nic Claxton out simply to rest, picked up with [**news**](https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/3/15/24386624/cam-thomas-to-miss-rest-of-season-with-another-left-hamstring-injury-brooklyn-nets) that Cam Thomas’ season was over due to his balky left hamstring, and soon enough the Celtics had a 21-point lead over Brooklyn in a very green Barclays Center. These are the dog days, and there is just a month left in this transitional season.
Tatum, as he always is against Brooklyn, was awesome, and Boston’s stable of rotation players were just too much. Kristaps Porzingis looked rusty to start his first game back from absences, but ended with 24 points anyway. Luke Kornet controlled a Nets bench without a big man to match. Jaylen Brown left early with back spasms, but Payton Pritchard hooped in his stead.
The Tatum-to-Kornet pushed Boston’s lead back to a dozen to end the second quarter, after what felt like Brooklyn’s final push. Per usual, the Nets acquitted themselves well, flying around on defense, but a lack of size and talent wasn’t exactly a solvable issue...
And yet, the Nets kept hanging around, thanks to 43.5% 3-point shooting and their trademark effort. A glance up at the scoreboard always provided a surprise. _How is Boston only up by ten right now? Eight? Six?_
There would be no miracle in the second half, as Brooklyn would get as close as a possession but never completely catch up. But, as Boston fans filled Barclays to serenade Tatum with ‘M-V-P’ chants at the line, and as the need to tank only grows stronger, the Nets won the battle of hearts and minds.
They never stopped, not even with a bench of Jalen Wilson, Tyrese Martin, Reece Beekman, and Maxwell Lewis.
Wilson and Lewis each scored 15 points, the latter relishing the opportunity to play a career-high 16 minutes. He sprinted out the gate...
A couple fast-break dunks later, and hardly one month after fracturing his tibia, Lewis was having the game of his professional career.
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Day’Ron Sharpe, in his second start of the season, performed to standards. He was frequently overwhelmed by Boston’s size at the rim, shooting just 4-of-10, but put up 9/16/5, a whopping _ten_ of those rebounds offensive.
Does he have flaws? Absolutely. But in two starts this season — against Oklahoma City and Boston, no less — Sharpe’s ability to generate extra possessions has been astounding, and he does not get played off the court on the other end. It’s been four seasons of largely sparse playing time for the 23-year-old nearing the end of his rookie contract, but Sharpe has turned himself into a bona fide pro, and perhaps the perfect emblem of this odd Nets team.
Keon Johnson is another candidate, perhaps the face of Brooklyn’s ball-pressure-heavy defense. On Saturday though, he got busy offensively, scoring 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting with four made 3-pointers...
But it was the other Johnson, Cam, who led Brooklyn’s final push of the day. Down 112-101 with two minutes left typically spells out g-a-r-b-a-g-e t-i-m-e, but the Nets went full D.W., forcing turnovers and hitting some wild shots...
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...culminating with a 35-foot pull-up from Cam Johnson, his team-leading 23rd point of the day, cutting the deficit to one single point with four seconds left.
Brooklyn then fouled Pritchard, who stepped to the line and missed the second free-throw. The basketball Gods were daring the Nets to win this game. But out of timeouts, Cam Johnson’s 60-foot prayer came after the buzzer, and he missed anyway.
“I can tell these guys that I’m truly proud of the way they played,” said Jordi Fernández. “There’s no moral victories here, but if that’s gonna be our identity, a lot of good things are gonna happen.”
The Brooklyn Nets, led by a slam-dunk hire, do not care that the season feels over. In fact, it may just be making them play harder. If any team has ever earned good fortune, it’s the the 2024-2025 Nets. At the very least, it’s a comforting belief.
**Final Score: Boston Celtics 115, Brooklyn Nets 113**