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The Brooklyn Nets are back at it, taking on the Boston Celtics on Friday night on ESPN. The Celtics are starting to get something going, having won 8 of their last 10.
The Nets, on the other hand, are back in first place, tossing back loss after win, and playing .500 ball over their last 10 - the same approach the 76ers and Bucks seem to be taking.
Brooklyn has the pending return of Kevin Durant looming - which is exciting, though he won’t play tonight. Less exciting for Celtics fans is that they’ll be without Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker on Friday night.
You know the drill: we’ll be talking post-game yay’s and nays after the game on Clubhouse. Join us!
After tonight’s game we’re going live on Clubhouse to talk Nets-Celtics and probably a few of the other hundred things happening in Nets world. https://t.co/BRMVJMccBN
— NetsDaily (@NetsDaily) April 23, 2021
WHO: Brooklyn Nets (39-20) vs. Boston Celtics (32-27)
WHEN: 7:30 PM EST
WHERE: ESPN (national), YES (local), WFAN (radio)
Can the Celtics sustain their solid play? If they played like they did last night, they can. They won without Jaylen Brown plus Jayson Tatum who had a horrid game, shooting 3-of-17 overall and 2-of-8 from deep. And even with Walker out, presumably for rest, Evan Fournier has a rep as a Nets killed. When he faced the Nets just before the trade that sent him to Boston, Fournier scored 31 to help Magic beat the Nets last month.
In their current run, they’ve beaten the Knicks, Nuggets, Blazers, Lakers, Warriors and Suns. That’s impressive. You can see their confidence and chemistry building after a disappointing year following a disappointing “bubble.” Marcus Smart was talking about Walker when he said the following, but he could have said it about the whole team.
“Kemba’s been struggling coming off that injury. He’s been hearing it a lot, a lot of backlash from it. I’m just proud of the way he’s responded. He comes in everyday, gets his work in, doesn’t let anything phase him, very professional, and he comes out and it pays off. I’m very happy. I’m very proud of him and I’m excited that he’s finally getting his legs back under him.”
For more on the Celtics, check out CelticsBlog.