BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- The Boston Celtics continue their streaking ways with yet another disappointing defeat.
This time coming at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets who used a furious third-quarter surge to pull away for a 109-102 win.
Boston (25-18) has now lost three in a row - all on the road.
And with the loss, the Celtics have lost their 13th road game of the season which equals their road loss total from all of last season.
Boston played without Kyrie Irving (quadriceps injury) and Marcus Smart (sickness), but their absence had little to do with what happened in Brooklyn.
The Nets played harder, smarter and did a better job of playing to their strength which is 3-point shooting.
Meanwhile, the Celtics continue to play like a team searching not so much for their identity as much as a way to win.
Boston Celtics
So many of the usual problems that have plagued this team were on display, like struggling to keep opponents out of the paint, guys making open or lightly contested shots and maybe most noticeable, playing with some kind of passion or fire when things got tough.
Boston continues to show little to no resistance defensively.
And their offense hasn’t been good to compete let alone win games.
The Celtics return home on the heels on an 0-for-the-road trip as each defeat exposed another area of concern as the Celtics continue trending in the wrong direction.
Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston’s loss to the Nets.
STARS
D’Angelo Russell: He was the 3-point sniper that was lighting up the Celtics with regularity in the first half. He would finish with 34 points which included seven made 3’s along with seven assists and five rebounds. .
Jayson Tatum: With no Kyrie Irving (right quadriceps injury) tonight, it was on Tatum to pick up a bit more of the team’s scoring load. He led the way in the first half with 10 points before finishing the night with a career-high 34 points, five rebounds and three assists.
STUDS
Rodions Kurucs: He was in a good shooting rhythm once again against the Celtics, tallying 19 points which included draining seven three-pointers.
Jaylen Brown: Filling in for Marcus Smart (sick), Brown had a solid night for Boston particularly when it came to scoring. He would finish with 22 points on 9-for-17 shooting to go with five rebounds.
Brad Wanamaker: A seldom-used guard, Wanamaker made the most of his chance to see playing time beyond end-of-the-game minutes. Boston trailed by just a single point at the half, with Wanamaker being one of the keys to the Celtics keeping the game relatively close. He would finish with a career-high 13 points.
DUDS
Terry Rozier: It was one of those nights for Rozier when shots that he normally makes, consistently rimmed in and out except for that really nice dunk in the third quarter. As impressive as the dunk was, it didn’t come close to making up for what was a rough shooting night for Rozier who scored just 7 points on 3-for-12 shooting from the field.
Celtics defense: “Embarrassing” was the common description of what the Celtics called the defense on Monday. There was little to no fight by them on all fronts, allowing the Brooklyn Nets to do anything and everything they wanted to do, all game. Brooklyn is a solid team this season, but they aren’t nearly as good as the Celtics made them look on Monday.
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