Mar 15, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernández during the first half against the Boston Celtics at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images
Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernández was proud of his team following Saturday’s two-point loss to the Boston Celtics.
He said: “We all wanna win, right? The reality is, when you lose, you’re not happy, but I can tell these guys that I’m extremely proud of them with the way we played. There’s no moral victories here, but if that’s gonna be our identity, a lot of good things are gonna happen. These guys work every day, these guys compete every single night and they stay together.”
Boston was up by 21 points at one stage of the game, but Brooklyn made the end of the contest exciting, cutting that lead down to one point with five seconds remaining. Ultimately, the Nets were unable to get off a potential game-winning heave after Payton Pritchard missed a free throw with three seconds on the clock.
Cam Johnson led the Nets in scoring with 23 points, and he also achieved his sixth career double-double by pulling down 10 boards. The 29-year-old also had six assists. Keon Johnson added 21, with a career-high five made 3-pointers. Ziaire Williams, Jalen Wilson, D’Angelo Russell and Maxwell Lewis scored in the double digits, as well.
Lewis, in particular, has scarcely played in the NBA since getting drafted in out of Pepperdine in 2023. In his first game with the Nets, he suffered one of the most bizarre injuries seen in some time when he went down with a left tibia fracture moments after checking in. Lewis’ 15 points in 16 minutes against the Celtics were a career-best.
The energy, the running, the effort – I’m really proud of Max and he’s always been working,” Fernández said. “He’s always been a positive energy. […] He was never down or angry because he was not playing. He was just ready for the opportunity and that creates that competitiveness within the group.”
The Nets’ absences, which included Cam Thomas (likely out for the season) and Nic Claxton, also meant some lesser-utilized lineups and player combinations. Fernández was proud of his team’s effort. Day’Ron Sharpe, in his own comments post-game, also mentioned this.
“Whoever’s out there, the groups that they’ve never been together, they find a way,” Fernández said. “That makes me proud. Credit to our group for being resilient, showing how connected they are and fighting all the way through.”
The Brooklyn bench boss was also pleased with his team’s “intentions” and shot selection. The Nets took and made more threes than the Celtics, the team in the NBA that takes the most threes (48.1 per game). Fernández also liked how his squad got out in transition.
“When you play against a very good defensive team like them — that they have physical, positional size everywhere — the more you run and get early shots, the easier it is to find those,” he said. “If you wait to play [in the] half-court, you play the wrestle game. They hold you, they grab you, they keep you in front and it’s really hard to score.”
Next, the Atlanta Hawks visit Barclays Center on Sunday afternoon. The Nets will have a chance to avenge this loss on Tuesday, March 18 when they travel to Boston.
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