Three Takeaways From Nets' Double Overtime Loss To The Celtics

Wednesday night's 54-point loss to the Knicks was one of the worst losses in franchise history. The Brooklyn Nets (12-31) returned to the Barclays Center on Friday looking to erase that game with a matchup against the Boston Celtics (28-16).

After splitting the first two matchups this season, the winner of Friday night's game would gain temporary bragging rights in the season series. It was a crazy game, with big plays on both sides. Ultimately, it was the Celtics who outlasted the Nets in double overtime, winning 130-126 in a wild one.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the Nets home loss to the Celtics.

1. Nets Energy Was Much Better

Egor 👌
Egor 👌
Drake 👌 pic.twitter.com/HzSdFW3dLI
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 24, 2026

After coming out extremely flat against the Knicks, the Nets needed to play with a lot more energy and passion to start this one. And they did exactly that. From the opening tip, it was obvious that Brooklyn was intent on giving this game their best effort, and that showed on the scoreboard. The Nets took a six-point lead into the half, a far cry from the 22 points they trailed by at halftime on Wednesday.

This was exactly the response Jordi Fernandez was hoping for from his team at this moment. With the trade deadline coming up and potential big changes to the roster on the horizon, the Nets played like a team with a lot on the line. That kind of culture will be crucial to maintain as the franchise continues its rebuild.

2. Brooklyn's Bench Shines

☁️ Traore floater ☁️ pic.twitter.com/oo2Z5kQ7oE
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 24, 2026

The Nets got some excellent play out of their bench on Friday night, as they sparked Brooklyn throughout the entire game. They outscored Boston's bench 51-40 and allowed Fernandez to give his starters extended rest so that they were ready for the fourth quarter and beyond. The bench unit has been hit or miss all season, and it was a home run against the Celtics.

Ziaire Williams was productive again, with 14 points despite an off-shooting night. Nolan Traore, coming off one of the worst games of his NBA career, had one of his best on Friday. The rookie guard exploded for a career-high 21 points and played all of the overtime periods. Day'Ron Sharpe was active on the glass and made all the hustle plays you could ask for. And even Cam Thomas started to look more like himself in the second half, ending up with seven points. This was a stellar game for that unit.

3. Nets Made All The Clutch Plays

WE ARE TIED!!!!!! https://t.co/lY1BziBoMn pic.twitter.com/1Jcm0voNzJ
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 24, 2026

The Nets have played in some crazy games this season, but they also seemed to come out on the losing end of most of those games. They made some plays in the clutch, but the other team executed better down the stretch. That wasn't the case on Friday. Needing to play an almost perfect end to the fourth quarter to extend the game, Brooklyn executed perfectly. They got the key stops, and some big buckets from Nic Claxton to get the game to overtime.

Then, in the extra period, Brooklyn once again trailed late. Down by four with just over a minute to play, the Nets went on a 9-0 run, fueled by a smothering defense and important free-throw makes. Unfortunately, Boston was clutch too, and tied it again to send it to a second overtime, where they made enough plays to win. Despite the loss, Brooklyn played well and more than held their own.