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Where's the pride? Celtics kick Nets while they're down, 120-95

By Anthony Puccio
Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

The Celtics reminded us yet again that you can take the Nets out of New Jersey, but you can never take the New Jersey out of the Nets.

It really wouldn't be put like that if the Nets had their own pick. They'd have a lottery pick and perhaps the chance of landing someone like LSU's Ben Simmons. But that's no longer the reality for the Nets, but rather a reality for the Celtics; a team that has a legitimate chance of taking the Atlantic division AND owning a lottery pick.

They helped their own cause with Simmons and really so much more, as they delivered the Nets their 11th loss of the season, 120-95. And then, "Thank you Brooklyn" chants rained down from the Celtic faithful. So did this one...

It's becoming more and more obvious that the Nets are the laughing stock of the NBA once again.

You'd like to say, "Well it can't get any worse than Jersey, right?" But in a season with no reasons for hope and zero draft picks, things have never looked more gloomy heading into Friday night. Then they played the game.

The game was lost in the first half, and even more so in the second quarter. The Celtics scored 43 points in the second quarter. The Nets scored 42 points in the HALF.

They shot 86 percent from the floor and gained a 24-point lead by the end of the half. The Nets committed 11 turnovers (six from Jarrett Jack) and watched the Celtics annihilate them in every facet of the game. Boston dished out 23 assists and scored 38 points in the paint, while the uninterested and underprepared Nets failed to crack 10 by the end of the half.

The Celtics were led by Jae Crowder in the first half, but also received double-digit contributions from the likes of Isaiah Thomas, David Lee and Avery Bradley. Bradley led with 21 points while Crowder chipped in 19 and Thomas 18.

They went down by as many as 30 in the third quarter. Game over.  Zach Lowe of ESPN thought the defense was particularly awful.

Sergey Karasev received more burn in this game alone than he's gotten all season, 24 minutes to six. This comes a day after his father Vasily told a Russian paper that his son wanted to be traded out of Brooklyn and that they're in complete 'disarray'. This is something I've seen in school ball and AAU, but the NBA? Or were they showcasing the 22-year old Russian southpaw? He scored five points in 23 minutes.

The Celtics defended Brook Lopez well all game. They surrounded him with hard double teams throughout, knowing he didn't have much help from out on the perimeter. He finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. Thaddeus Young also chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds, notching his fourth double-double of the season. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson also finished with a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, but committed five turnovers.

JJ's struggle:

Jarrett Jack finished with seven turnovers on 3-of-8 shooting. Lionel Hollins has held most players accountable for their mistakes this season, but Jack continued to play despite the horrid play in the first half. Joe Johnson, set to make $25 million this year, finished with three points on 1-of-5 shooting.

Next stop: Back home this Sunday, 6:00 vs. the Celtics again.

For more on the Boston Celtics, check our friends over at CelticsBlog.

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