BOSTON _ Injuries, the NBA schedule and a championship-caliber Celtics team combined to snap the Nets' three-game winning streak in a 116-95 rout Monday night at TD Garden. The Nets were playing their third game in four nights and were down to only 10 healthy bodies, and the loss dropped them to eighth in the Eastern Conference.
The Nets trailed by 20 in the second quarter and still were down by 17 late in the third when they scored eight straight points, ending with a 3-pointer by Spencer Dinwiddie to open the fourth quarter and cut their deficit to single digits at 86-77. But the Celtics had too much firepower and turned it up at will with a 22-7 run that pushed their lead to108-84 and removed any trace of hope for a miracle comeback.
Rookie Rodions Kurucs led the Nets (20-22) with 24 points, Spencer Dinwiddie added 15, and Kenneth Faried totaled 13 points and 12 rebounds, but the Nets committed 23 turnovers leading to 30 Celtics points and shot only 11 of 42 from three-point range. Kyrie Irving led eight Celtics (24-15) in double figures with 24 points.
The Nets went into the game as one of the NBA's hottest teams with a 12-3 record in their previous 15 games, including a three-game winning streak. But the injury bug that has tested their improved depth all season stretched them to the breaking points.
Joe Harris sat out with a sprained ankle suffered in Sunday's win in Chicago, and DeMarre Carroll (sore left knee) also sat out. That was on top of previous injuries that have sidelined Caris LeVert (dislocated ankle), Allen Crabbe (sore right knee), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (right adductor strain) and rookie Dzanan Musa (left shoulder subluxation) for extended periods.
"Joe tweaked it pretty good," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said before the game when asked if Harris and Carroll also were being rested. "We feel he's not ready tonight. DeMarre had some swelling in the knee, but hopefully, nothing long-term. I think it'll be a day-to-day thing."
At the same time, Atkinson cited the Nets' improved depth as a major factor in their improvement this season. "We've had some injuries," Atkinson said. "Caris going out obviously was a big thing, and then Rondae and Allen Crabbe was an elite NBA shooter. Other guys have stepped up and we have the depth now, and our culture is in a good place where we can sustain injuries like that."
Shabazz Napier, who played well against the Bulls, moved into the starting lineup in place of Harris. The Nets got off to a hot start, making the first four 3-pointers they looked at to grab a 12-4 lead, but their shooting went cold and they committed 14 first-half turnovers to trail by as much as 20 points.
Playing with their typical grit, the Nets finished the second quarter on an 18-9 run that included six points each from Kurucs and Dinwiddie to cut their halftime deficit to 56-45. Early in the third period, the Nets pulled to within 59-54 of the Celtics. That was as close as they got.
