BOSTON _ For the better part of four quarters, the Nets looked like the defensively challenged rebuilding project they were expected to be. But with stars Brook Lopez and Jeremy Lin on the bench, they mounted a late rally from a 23-point deficit to claw within three points on a 3-pointer by Bojan Bogdanovic with 46.8 seconds left. Bogdanovic had a chance for a tying 3 but missed as the Celtics held on for a 122-117 victory Wednesday night at TD Garden.
Bogdanovic led the Nets with 21 points, but they got just seven points on 1-for-7 shooting from Lopez, who played just 21 minutes. Backup center Justin Hamilton, who is a good fit in new coach Kenny Atkinson's motion offense, got more playing time than Lopez with 25 minutes and scored 19 points, including 3-for-5 shooting from three-point range. New point guard Lin had 18 points and three assists, and they got 16 from Joe Harris and 13 from Sean Kilpatrick.
Isaiah Thomas topped the Celtics with 25 points, and Jae Crowder added 21. The Celtics shot 53.9 percent.
The air seemed to go out of the Nets' opening-night balloon when the Celtics' reserves pushed the lead to 23 points, but the Nets fought gamely to get within 120-117 on Bogdanovic's 3 with 46.8 seconds left. General manager Sean Marks said Atkinson's teams will play with passion, and it certainly showed.
After spending years working around the world as an assistant coach, Atkinson's life as a head coach has been completely different because of the increased responsibility he feels. "It feels really new, and it really feels like a challenge," Atkinson said. "I would say, as an assistant you cannot, prepare for this. Until you're in that pilot seat and you're driving the plane, it's hard to mimic it."
If the Nets have any doubts about Atkinson, all they had to do Wednesday night was look at the success of Celtics forward Al Horford, who credits Atkinson with turning him into a complete offensive player with an outside shot when they worked together in Atlanta.
"I really owe him a lot for the success that I have today," Horford told Newsday before the game. "I told people about three or four years ago that he was going to be a head coach. I just saw it. He was always very humble, head down, keep working. Brooklyn couldn't have gotten a better guy. The biggest thing for everyone to know is they've got to stick with him because he's going to be great."
It seemed clear during the Nets' 1-5 preseason that Atkinson's biggest challenge is fixing a defense that ranked 29th last season, and that theme continued Wednesday night as the Celtics shot 53.5 percent in the first half and led by as many as 12 points after a 16-5 run opening the second quarter before settling for a 64-58 halftime lead.
