The Nets (22-23) continued to showcase growth by fending off the Boston Celtics in the fourth quarter of their 109-102 victory at Barclays Center on Monday. Brooklyn again moved within a game of .500, doing so for the third time since Jan. 6. The Nets were last at .500 on Nov. 9.
Guard D'Angelo Russell continues to serve as a linchpin for the injury-ravaged Nets. He scored 18 of his 34 points in the third quarter to help Brooklyn end a 10-game losing skid to the Celtics. The Nets were without guards Shabazz Napier and Allen Crabbe, plus forwards Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Jared Dudley yet persevered thanks in large part to Russell, who has scored 20-plus points in seven of eight games while averaging seven assists over that span.
"There's no fear," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said of Russell. "He believes in himself. He's got tremendous, tremendous confidence. He's playing really well right now. I think with guys out, we've given him a little more of a green light. We need him to be aggressive. He and I have talked about it, and he was aggressive (Monday). We need him to keep doing that." >> Read More
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