The Boston Celtics suffered a brutal loss to the Brooklyn Nets tonight, dropping to an 8-8 record and a 1-2 record in the Group stage of the NBA Cup. Boston walked into tonight expecting to win, especially after having beaten the Nets earlier this season. Instead, they played like a group waiting for something to happen instead of forcing the game to their own terms, and Jaylen Brown recognized this.

During the postgame conference, when asked why Brooklyn’s defense crumbled so easily, Brown didn’t sugarcoat it: “I’m not sure. We got to look at the film and see what happened tomorrow, but I’m not sure what happened tonight.” There was no uncertainty; just a veteran leader admitting they had no idea how their opponents dictated everything.

Pressed for his takeaway, he was even sharper. “You come ready to play or don’t come at all,” Brown said. “We got to come ready to play. We just went through the motions today. I don’t understand it.” That line hit the room differently than the previous one: this was about pride, intensity, and the drive to compete.

The reporters also pressed him on the officiating tonight, which was a point of tension during the game for Brown. He recorded five fouls and was honest, if a bit fed up, in his response, “I’m doing my best, man… Tough whistle tonight. Some of them I could be better on for sure. Some of them like, no comment.” He walked the tightrope, doing his best to avoid the tens of thousands of dollars that such fines usually entail.

When asked how he could motivate his teammates, Brown didn’t dodge the responsibility, and admitted, “Yeah, I don’t know. We gonna watch it tomorrow… At the end of the day, we all got a job to do. We all getting paid to do what we love to do. Come ready to play basketball or you’re doing a disservice.” That was less of an answer and more of a message, one aimed directly at the guys in the locker room.

The final blow landed when he reflected on the margin for error the Celtics face with Jayson Tatum out for most of the year following his Achilles injury. “We need to play with an edge… That can’t be negotiable and tonight we weren’t. Brooklyn was the harder-playing team. They played with more of an edge, and they deserved the win tonight.”

Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton Break Boston Celtics’ Push

The Boston Celtics had crawled all the way back from a 15-point deficit to start the fourth, cutting the lead down to 96-94, and the Brooklyn Nets appeared to be stumbling for the first time all night. Right afterward, everything changed. Rookie guard Egor Demin buried a three-pointer to silence the TD Garden crowd, and Michael Porter Jr. stepped into the moment, scoring 16 fourth quarter points, bullying on drives and jumpers, and the dagger three, logging a 33-point masterclass to extend his 20-point streak to eight games, snatching the momentum from Boston.

Nic Claxton also did big damage tonight, with the Nets center logging his first career triple-double: 18 points, 12 assists, 11 rebounds, stabilizing the team whenever Boston made a push. Neemias Queta’s tip-in cut it to 71-68 in the third, and Brooklyn responded with a 19-4 run to prevent the surge. Even later in the game, Claxton’s playmaking and rim pressure kept the Nets in control.

While Porter and Claxton led the team, Brooklyn’s supporting cast also outplayed Boston’s at every turn. Demin added a solid 16-point, six-rebound, five-assist night, along with a crucial halftime-ending steal-and-assist combination. Noah Clowney also chipped in with 19 points, and the Nets shot a crisp 52.4% from the field, looking connected and sharp.