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Jack ejected, Celtics drop Nets in preseason matchup

The Boston Celtics were in town for the Nets' fourth preseason game.

By Anthony Puccio
Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

The Nets dropped to 1-3 Wednesday in the preseason after a 109 -105 loss to the Boston Celtics.

The night got off to an interesting start in the second quarter after Jarrett Jack clobbered Jonas Jerebko on a transition layup. Jack had turned the ball over for the second time in seven minutes of action, and he appeared flustered because of so. It resulted in a flagrant two foul and Jack's night was over early.

Not long after Jack was ejected, the Celtics built their lead up to 17. Meanwhile, the Nets struggled to score the rock in the first half. Shane Larkin was the only player in double digits with 10 points, while Amir Johnson & Isaiah Thomas had 17 apiece. Johnson finished with 19 and 6, and Thomas finished with 17 and 9.

The Nets pushed the tempo a bit heavier in the third quarter, but it wasn't quite enough. Thaddeus Young put home seven points in the quarter (19/8 on the night), helping the Nets slice the differential to four at one point in the third quarter. He was the leading scorer for Brooklyn.

The Celtics started the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run and built their lead back up to 15, but the Nets weren't done just yet. Despite the Celtics leading for most of the quarter, Bojan Bogdanovic's nine points helped the Nets eventually cut the deficit down to five with 24 seconds left, but it was way too late.

Thomas Robinson looked solid on the glass, grabbing 12 rebounds in 17 minutes of action, his second double figure board game in two games.. He did, however, struggle to finish around the rim (1-for-5). Bojan Bogdanovic was iffy for most of the game, but picked up his play in the second half, finishing the night with 11 points -- nine coming in the fourth. Shane Larkin scored 10 points in place of Jarrett Jack, but failed to dish the way the Nets needed. He had one assist and three turnovers in 29 minutes.

Inactives for Brooklyn: Andrea Bargnani, Markel Brown, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and Donald Sloan.

Inactives for Boston: Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, Avery Bradley and David Lee.

Luckily it's just the preseason, but there were a few things to take from this game.

1. The Nets really struggle to defend the three ball. The Celtics shot 50 percent from three and dished out 28 assists, practically running circles around the Nets defense.

2. The Nets REALLY need a distributor. Despite Jarrett Jack's early ejection, the Nets dished out 22 assists on the night. It's definitely a worry heading into the season, especially if the point guards can't get Brook Lopez (12 points) the ball in the right spots. Ryan Boatright led the team in assists with six in 12 minutes.

3. This one may correlate with #2: The Nets couldn't toss a rock in the ocean if they tried for the first three quarters. They shot 36 percent on the night and 23 percent from three heading into the fourth, but finished 40 percent from the field and 32 percent from three. They hit on seven 3-pointers. The Celtics hit 13.

The Nets will play the Philadelphia 76ers at home this Sunday, 1:00pm in another preseason battle.

For more on the Boston Celtics, check out CelticsBlog.

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