Basketball Nets Hold Off Celtics 111-101 by Jason Goldstein November 23, 2015 (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) (NEW YORK) – Maybe the Brooklyn Nets can compete with some of the better teams in the NBA, after all. Less than two days after being embarrassed in Boston, the Nets rallied to defeat the Celtics 111-101 on Sunday evening at Barclays Center, earning a split in their weekend home-and-home series. The Nets were led by Brook Lopez and energizing rookie Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Lopez finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Hollis-Jefferson had nine points, seven rebounds, five assists, and five steals. The five takeaways are the most by any rookie in the NBA this season. The Celtics destroyed the Nets (3-11), 120-95 on Friday night in Boston, and Brooklyn will forfeit their unprotected first-round draft pick to their division rivals next June, so a win of this magnitude is huge for them. They needed to make a stand, and prove to themselves that they can be a competitive team this season. After struggling in many of their close games, the Nets took control of this one right from the start, outscoring Boston 35-23 in the second quarter. Their lead ballooned to as much as 23 in the first half, which saw them head into the intermission up 59-42. Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley led the Celtics (7-6) with 27 points each. Thomas engineered a second half run that saw the Nets’ lead trickle down to just four points in the final quarter. Jarrett Jack (22 points) hit a couple of key jumpers down the stretch that helped Brooklyn hang on for the win. Believe it or not, but the Nets were playing in just their fifth home game of the season, and are now 2-3 at Barclays Center. They began the 2015-16 campaign with 11 of their first 16 games on the road, and are almost finished with that tough stretch. Nonetheless, they hit the road again to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. Post Views: 999 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Jason Goldstein Jason Goldstein is a co host of the Baseline Jumper NBA podcast, recording every Tuesday night along Ben McDonald. Jason has also spent time as the Basketball Editor at DoubleGSports.com while also handling the Brooklyn Nets Lead Writer duties since October 2015. Latest posts by Jason Goldstein (see all) Will Weaver Named Head Coach of the Long Island Nets - July 17, 2018 Sean Marks sets up Nets for Future with more Brilliant Moves - July 13, 2018 Brooklyn Nets Strike Early in Free Agency - July 1, 2018 Nets land Dwight Howard in trade from Hornets - June 20, 2018 Related TopicsAvery BradleyBrook LopezBrooklyn NetsIsaiah ThomasRondae Hollis-Jefferson Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Women in Sports: Podcast Host, New York Riptide Sideline Reporter, Dani Wexelman by Luke Porco | posted on March 3, 2020 From Paramus High School to CBS Sports, Spero Dedes is making waves in sports broadcasting by Sunil Sunder Raj | posted on October 27, 2020 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 “Overtime” l Ep. 28: TopSpin Celeb-Athlete Tournament – Dec. 6, 2018 by Stefany Romero | posted on December 19, 2018 More in Basketball You Know I’m Right, Episode 111: New York Giants’ Insider John Schmeelk (Audio/Video) On the 111th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 107: New York Post’s Columnist Mike Vaccaro (Audio/Video) On the 107th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 97: SNY’s Michelle Margaux (Audio/Video) On the 97th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined SNY’s... WNBA Rolling Out Red Carpet For Upcoming 25th Anniversary Season The WNBA’s 25th season also marks the debut of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. The Hall defeats St. Joseph’s to move to 4-0 New York Knicks Weeks in Review: 11/9/15 – 11/22/15