“It would’ve been great to finish out strong on the road trip with a win, but 3-1 on a West Coast swing, coming straight out of All-Star break, is not half-bad,” Brown said. “We’ve just got to continue to get better little by little.”
A game against the tanking Nets may be just what the Celtics need to get back on track. Brooklyn fell, 126-110, to the visiting Spurs on Thursday, the Nets’ sixth consecutive loss.
Get Starting Point
Friday’s game will tip off at 7:30 p.m. at TD Garden and on NBC Sports Boston. Here’s your preview.
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: TD Garden, Boston
TV, radio: NBCSB, WBZ-FM 98.5
Line: Boston -17.5. O/U: 208.0.
NETS
Season record: 15-43. vs. spread: 24-32, 2 pushes. Over/under: 26-31, 1 push
Last 10 games: 2-8. vs. spread: 2-8. Over/under: 7-3
CELTICS
Season record: 38-20. vs. spread: 33-25. Over/under: 21-37
Last 10 games: 8-2. vs. spread: 7-3. Over/under: 2-8
TEAM STATISTICS
Points per game: Brooklyn 107.0, Boston 114.4
Points allowed per game: Brooklyn 115.0, Boston 107.5
Field goal percentage: Brooklyn .444, Boston .465
Opponent field goal percentage: Brooklyn .493, Boston .441
3-point percentage: Brooklyn .341, Boston .361
Opponent 3-point percentage: Brooklyn .374, Boston .359
Stat of the day: Brooklyn ranks last in the NBA in scoring (107.0 points per game), field-goal percentage (44.4 percent), and rebounding (40.4 per game).
Notes: Boston was playing its third game in four nights on Wednesday. The Celtics beat the Phoenix Suns 97-81 on Tuesday without Brown (right knee contusion), but he led the Celtics in points (23) and rebounds (11) against Denver. … The Celtics are 9-2 in their past 11 games. … Josh Minott made his Brooklyn debut in the Thursday loss and did not record a point. Boston sent Minott to Brooklyn for cash considerations at the trade deadline. Minott most recently was playing for the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s G League affiliate. He averaged 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game with the Celtics this season. … Friday’s game will be the fourth meeting between Brooklyn and Boston this season. The Celtics won 113-99 on the road on Nov. 18 before the Nets prevailed 113-105 in Boston three days later. The most recent matchup was a 130-126 double-overtime road win for the Celtics on Jan. 23, when Brown logged 27 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds.
Emma Healy can be reached at [email protected] or on X @ByEmmaHealy.
