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Last season, without Kevin Durant, the Brooklyn Nets endured an 11-game losing streak, won five of 21 games, and tumbled from top of the Eastern Conference to one of the play-in slots.
This time around, the Nets believe they are ready to endure Durant’s extended absence. They get their first chance to validate their convictions when they host the Celtics in Boston Thursday night.
“There are no excuses,” Brooklyn coach Jack Vaughan said at practice Wednesday.
“We don’t give this group a chance to make excuses. Play here. Win here. Compete here. No change.”
Durant will be out at least two weeks with a right knee sprain after Monday’s MRI revealed a solitary sprain of the medial collateral ligament. Durant was injured in the third quarter when he collided with Miami’s Jimmy Butler before the Nets ended his three-game road trip with his 102-101 victory on Sunday.
Last year, Durant sprained his MCL on Jan. 15 after colliding with teammate Bruce Brown in a home game against the New Orleans Pelicans. This time around, the Nets have a fully available Kyrie Irving. He couldn’t play a home game last season due to New York’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Nor is anyone trying to demand a trade like James Harden did last season. He was eventually dealt to Philadelphia for Ben Simmons.
The Nets have won 14 of their last 15 games and will face the Celtics for the second time. They enjoyed a 12-game winning streak before suffering a 9-point loss at Chicago, ending their trip when Royce O’Neill converted a putback with 3.2 seconds remaining after Irving scored 29 points.
Brooklyn are also chasing a six-game winning streak at home and 12 of their last 13 home contests. His one loss at home for the Nets in that period was his 103-92 loss against the Celtics on December 4.
Since our last visit to Brooklyn, Boston is 11-7. The Celtics also scored his 120-plus points for the sixth time in his last 10 games, when he went 8-2 and beat New Orleans his Pelicans 125-114 at home.
Jaylen Brown, who scored 34 points in his final game against the Nets, led the Celtics with a season-high 41 points against New Orleans. Jayson Tatum added 31 in his third straight 30-point show, and it was his 19th time a duo scored at least 30 in the same game.
“They continue to grow in front of us,” Celtics center Al Horford said. “What we did last year and what they brought us to the Finals shows a lot of growth on their side….Now they’re just playing basketball and trying to lead us. I feel like I’m doing this.”
Thursday is the second day in a row, but Brown and Tatum are expected to play. The Celtics missed Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III Wednesday with knee injuries, and both could be sidelined again Thursday.
–Field level media
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