Four takeaways as Celtics lose to Nets 115-105 after blowing 28-point lead in epic collapse

The Celtics blew a 28-point lead on their way to an ugly 115-105 loss to the Brooklyn Nets at TD Garden on Friday night while losing Rob Williams due to injury. The loss snapped a 10-game winning streak in Boston’s head-to-head matchups against the Nets.

The hosts dominated the game out of the gate, building a 21-point first quarter lead that was pushed to 28 at the seven-minute mark of the second quarter. From there, it was all Brooklyn as they erased the entire lead by the opening minutes of the third quarter and carried that momentum throughout the second half while building a double-digit lead of their own.

New trade addition Mikal Bridges led the way for Brooklyn with a game-high 38 points, tops among five Nets players that scored in double figures. Jaylen Brown finished with a team-high 35 points but didn’t get much help from his teammates as Jayson Tatum and Derrick White were the only other Celtics to finish in double figures. Malcolm Brogdon (ankle) was clearly missed from an offensive perspective in the defeat.

Boston went over two straight quarters in one stretch without making a 3 and an ugly night of turnovers and unfocused defense opened the door for arguably the worst loss of the season for Boston. Brooklyn snapped a four-game losing streak with the victory.

Here are four takeaways from the Celtics’ loss

Another first quarter beatdown that fades quickly: Fresh off outscoring Brooklyn by 30 points in the first quarter last month during their visit to Boston, the Celtics continued to pile it on early in this contest, winning the opening frame by a 37-16 margin. Jaylen Brown (11 points) led the way offensively for an efficient scoring attack that featured 56 percent shooting and seven trips to the free throw line. Derrick White also added eight points off the bench in that stretch. The real story for Boston though was their ability to lockdown defensively against a revamped Brooklyn squad in the opening minutes. The visitors mustered just 24 percent shooting in the opening frame, including 18 percent from beyond the arc as a lack of top-tier scoring options create a big hole early. When all was said and done, Boston outscored Brooklyn at TD Garden 83-31 during first quarters this season, continuing their stretch of dominance over their divisional rival early in games. Unlike last month, the big advantage didn’t last long on Friday night.

Grant Williams re-emerges in rotation: The surprise DNP-CD for the fourth-year big man became a distant memory quickly on Friday night as Williams returned to being the first big off the bench. The decision was likely made easier for Joe Mazzulla with Malcolm Brogdon sidelined and the Nets’ playing a lot of smaller lineups with wings. Defending those type of players play to Williams’ strength much more than Mike Muscala. Either way, it was an uneventful return for Williams to the floor as he didn’t even attempt a shot in his 10 first half minutes. Despite a tough February offensively for the 6-foot-6 forward, his DNP against the Cavs looks like no more than experimentation by Boston’s coaching staff as they look to mix and match with a deep depth chart after the trade deadline.

Celtics starting five blows big lead: There has been more bad than good from Boston’s healthy starting five since getting healthy after the All-Star Break and Friday night was another example on that front. The hosts pushed their lead all the way up to 28 points with over seven minutes remaining in the second quarter. From there, Brooklyn erased nearly all of Boston’s huge lead in less than 12 minutes of game action with most of their comeback coming against Boston’s starters who played incredibly loose and lazy defense for much of the period. The Nets were a plus-20 against Boston’s starting five in the second and third quarter before Derrick White entered the game with seven minutes left in the third quarter. It’s doubtful any change is on the horizon but the Celtics’ struggles against smaller lineups with this group is something to monitor as they play more minutes together. Boston’s bench was unable to stop the bleeding by the starters amid a 28-point turnaround for the visitors in the second half.

Rob Williams suffers hamstring injury: Boston’s string of good health luck came to an abrupt end in the third quarter amid a furious Nets rally. Robert Williams appeared to tweak his left hamstring while getting fouled on a shot attempt. He pulled himself out of the game a possession later and was quickly ruled out of the game by the team’s training staff. He finished the game with six points and six rebounds in 19 minutes. While knee issues have been Williams’ primary area of concern during this season, another injury is a hit for a Celtics lineup that hasn’t found much consistency with their usual starting five all year.

©2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit masslive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.