Nets fall to Celtics in overtime despite Cam Thomas' 31-point effort

BOSTON — The Nets last played at TD Garden on Feb. 14, but love was nowhere to be found. Instead, the mood was bitter after a 50-point loss to the Celtics.

Ahead of their return Friday, the Nets spoke about relying on toughness and grit. They brought that to the Celtics through four quarters and it continued in overtime, but it wasn’t enough in a 108-104 loss to Boston.

The Nets (4-5) had plenty go in their favor against the defending champions. They led for most of regulation, won the rebounding battle 51-39 and held the Celtics (8-2) to 14-for-53 shooting on three-pointers.

The last made three-pointer proved costly, though. The Celtics’ Al Horford broke a 100-100 tie on a corner shot with 1:56 left. Jayson Tatum gave the Celtics a 105-102 lead with a jumper to cap a 33-point night.

“Obviously, a very good player making the right plays,” Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said of Tatum. “That pass to the left corner to Horford was impressive, but I give our guys a lot of credit with the effort that they showed in this game, and we gave ourselves a chance against a very good team.”

Cam Thomas finished with 31 points, but after Tatum’s jumper, he missed a contested jumper coming out of a timeout. The air ball gave the Nets a shot-clock violation with 23.1 seconds left in OT.

“Didn’t see the clock,” Thomas said. “So I think if I saw a clock there, it would’ve been a different solution. But I mean, they did a good job of running on the turnovers.”

The Nets and Celtics each had 13 turnovers. However, the Nets converted only seven points off them and the Celtics got 20.

It sullied a night when the Nets responded any time the Celtics caught them in regulation.

Tatum put the Celtics up 94-92 on a dunk with 31.4 seconds left in regulation. The Nets’ Cam Johnson missed a three-pointer but tracked down his own rebound, was fouled and tied the score by hitting two free throws with 7.6 seconds left.

The game’s end felt almost similar to when the Nets lost to the Nuggets on Oct. 29. In that game, they led by 17 in the first half but lost in overtime after the Nuggets caught them in the fourth quarter.

On Friday, the Nets went ahead 16-2 and didn’t trail until the fourth quarter.

Down 88-82 with 6:16 remaining, the Celtics charged back with a 10-3 run that put them ahead for the first time.

The Celtics were attempting an NBA-high 51.2 three-pointers per game entering Friday, and Fernandez wanted the Nets to counter by securing long rebounds. They did and kept that focus on the offensive glass, too, with 12 offensive rebounds to the Celtics’ four.

Ziaire Williams had a career-high 12 rebounds off the bench. Dennis Schroder had 20 points and Johnson added 18 points and eight rebounds.

“I think we did a great job executing the game plan that we had,” Thomas said. “Obviously, they’re the champs. They’re battle-tested and you know they’re not going to go away easy. So obviously, that three kind of hurt a little bit.”

The Nets again tweaked their opening lineup, with Nic Claxton making his second consecutive start and Ben Simmons coming off the bench for the first time this season.

Claxton had only two points, grabbed 10 rebounds and added two blocks. Simmons had eight points, eight assists and six rebounds in 27 minutes.

“For the flow of the team, whatever the team needs me to do in terms of whether it’s come off the bench or starting, I got to do,” Simmons said. “That’s what Coach wants. It is what it is.”

Notes & quotes: The Nets will face the Cavaliers (10-0) in Cleveland on Saturday . . . Simmons will be out Saturday, according to the Nets’ injury management policy of not playing him in both ends of back-to-backs .  .  . After being listed before the game as questionable because of illness, Noah Clowney was available but didn’t play .  .  . Saturday is Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson’s first meeting against the Nets as a head coach since the two sides mutually parted ways in March 2020. Atkinson coached the Nets for four seasons (2016-20) and had a 118-190 record.

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.