The Nets were reminded of just how far behind the top teams in the NBA they are. Much too large for them to detect a squad with such a strong lead.
In front of an electrified 18,053 spectators at Barclays Center on Tuesday, Brooklyn dug itself a hole and lost, 118-110, to the league-leading Celtics.
Superstar Jayson Tatum burned them for 31 of his game-high 41 points in the first half, leaving them helpless to watch as he ate them alive.
They watched as the mob, their mob, rained “M-V-P! M-V-P!” chants on him.
Tatum is a deserving MVP candidate, no doubt, but their own mishandled passes and poor defense gave the impression that one
“[There were] multiple things we could have done,” Mikal Bridges said. “I think just personally we were just messing up our coverages defensively as a team, so a lot of them going and slipping out to the rim. Everywhere it was 3s, dunks, getting out in transition, getting wide-open ones, getting free dunks and stuff.
Therefore, we merely need to improve and become more knowledgeable. The athletes must understand our responsibilities on the field.
Tatum settled in at the Nets’ headquarters. Furthermore, they were never able to stop him when they attempted to fight back.
The difficult portion of the doubleheader is about to begin on Wednesday night at TD Garden with the return leg.
After falling behind by as many as 23 points in the third quarter, Brooklyn (21-32) made several runs to close the gap to six points in the fourth.
But they were unable to overcome the setback and concluded the home-heavy phase of their schedule with a depressing loss. They had to embark on the hardest test imaginable after failing to gain weight while cooking at home.
After playing 13 home games over an 18-game run, the Nets finished just 6-12. They now have 14 of the next 20 games to be played away from home.
Tuesday showed the gap separating the teams.
“Time, chemistry,” Ben Simmons said. “They’ve been together for a while, so they’ve got it figured out. They’re a great team. Obviously No. 1 in the East. So it’s a good test for us.”
Tatum had given Boston s 93-70 cushion on a running dunk off a feed from Jaylen Brown with 4:19 left in the third quarter. But the Nets spent the rest of the evening giving chase, and nearly caught them.
