at
Boston Celtics (7-7) at Brooklyn Nets (2-11)
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
7:30 pm ET
Regular Season Game #15 Road Game #8
TV: NBCSB, YES, NBA-LP
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub, 101.9 FM, Sirius XM
Barclays Center 
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Derrick White vs Egor Demin
Shooting Guard 
vs
Payton Pritchard vs Terance Mann
Small Forward 
vs
Jaylen Brown vs Michael Porter, Jr
Power Forward 
vs
Jordan Walsh vs Noah Clowney
Center 
vs
Neemias Queta vs Nic Claxton
Celtics ReservesAnfernee Simons
Chris Boucher
Xavier Tillman
Josh Minott
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Baylon Scheierman
Sam Hauser
2-Way PlayersRon Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams
Injuries/OutJayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Nets Reserves Tyrese Martin
Ben Seraf
Day'Ron Sharpe
Nolan Traore
Ziaire Williams
Jalen Wilson
Danny Wolf
Two-Way Players EJ Liddell
Tyson Etienne
Injuries/Out Haywood Highsmith (knee) out
Cam Thomas (hamstring) out
Head Coach Jordi Fernandez
Game Notes The Celtics head to Brooklyn to take on the Nets at Barclays Center. This is the first of 4 meetings between these two teams this season. They will meet in Boston on Friday for an NBA Cup game. They will meet for the final two times on January 23 in Brooklyn and on February 27 in Boston. Brooklyn is the youngest team in the league this season, with an average age of 23.98.
The Celtics have won 8 straight games against the Nets, sweeping the series in the last 2 seasons. The Celtics are 145-74 overall all time against the Nets and they are 68-40 when playing on the road against Brooklyn. Brooklyn has yet to win at home this season. They have lost their first 6 home games and have an 8 game home losing streak dating back to last season.
The Nets made quite a few changes since last season. First of all, they have 5 first round draft picks on the team. Egor Demin was the 8th pick in this year's draft. They also selected Nolan Traore (19th), Drake Powell (22nd), Ben Seraf (26th) and Danny Wolf (27th). All 5 are on the roster this season. They also traded Cam Johnson for Michael Porter, Jr.They also acquired Terance Mann in the 3 way trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta. They also lost Tosan Evbuomwan, D'Angelo Russell, and Trendon Watford in free agency.
The Celtics are 10th in the East, tied with Chicago for 9th and 1 game behind Philadelphia for 6th. They are also tied with Orlando for 11th. The Celtic are 3-4 on the road and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are 4-5 against Eastern Conference opponents. They have won their last 2 games.
The Nets are 13th in the East. They are 4.5 games behind the Celtics and 2 games behind the 12th place Hornets. They are 1 game ahead of the both the 14th place Pacers and the 15th place Wizards, the 2 teams that the Nets have beaten this season. They are 0-6 at home and 2-8 in their last 10 games. They are 2-8 against Eastern teams. They are coming off a win in their last game.
After this game at Brooklyn, the Celtics are back at home to play Brooklyn again in an Emerates NBA Cup game on Friday. They then play Orlando, and Detroit at home. They then play at Minnesota and at Cleveland before one game at home vs New York. Then, they play at Washington, at home against the Lakers and at Toronto before a break for the NBA Cup games.
The Nets will play the Celtics again on Friday in an Emerates NBA Cup game in Boston. They then play at Toronto before two games at home against New York and Philadelphia. Then it's on the road to Milwaukee and back home to play Charlotte. Then it's one game at Chicago before playing Utah and New Orleans at home. Then they have a break for the NBA Cup tournament.
Jayson Tatum remains the only player on the Celtics' injury report as he rehabs from the torn Achilles. For the Nets, Haywood Highsmith had off season knee surgery and is expected to be out until mid December. Cam Thomas has been diagnosed with a left hamstring strain and will also be out until mid December.
Key Matchups vs
Jaylen Brown vs Michael Porter, Jr
Porter is clearly the Nets best player and is averaging 24.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. He is shooting 47.2% from the field and 34.9% from beyond the arc. Jaylen Brown is leading the Celtics with 27.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 50.5% from the field and 34.2% from beyond the arc. This should be a good matchup.
vs
Neemias Queta vs Nic Claxton
Claxton is averaging 15.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. He is shooting 61.0% from the field and hasn't hit a 3 pointer. The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint and be aware of him on defense as he is a good rim protector.
Honorable Mention Payton Pritchard vs Terance Mann
Mann is averaging 9.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. He is shooting 47.5% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend him on the perimeter as he is a good 3 point shooter. Pritchard is coming off his best game this season with 30 points and seems to have gotten past the shooting slump that plagued him to start the season.
Keys to the Game Defense - As always, defense is a key to winning this, and every, game. The Celtics were second in the preseason with a defensive rating of 100.2. They have slipped down to 11th with a defensive rating of 113.2. The Nets are last in the league with a defensive rating of 124.0. The Celtics must play tough lock down defense in every game to give themselves the best chance of winning.
Rebound - Rebounding is also a big key to winning. It is very important now because the Celtics have struggled on the boards in their losses this season. The Celtics are 1-5 in games in which they are out-rebounded by their opponents. The Celtics are 15th with 44.4 rebounds per game while the Nets are last in the league with 38.4 rebounds per game. The Celtics simply have to fight harder to grab rebounds than their opponents.
Effort and Energy for 48 Minutes- I've already mentioned that the Celtics need to put out more effort on the boards but they have to play with more effort overall for all 4 quarters. In their 7 wins, the Celtics played harder and with more energy than their opponents. In most of their losses, they played with effort and energy for part of the game but then allowed their opponents to come from behind to get the win. The Celtics need to make playing with more effort and energy their identity this season and play that way for the entire game, not just a quarter or two.
Don't Underestimate - The Celtics need to stay focused and be aggressive from start to finish. The Nets have not been playing well, but they play hard and will always try to beat the Celtics. The Celtics can't underestimate them because they are just 2-11 and have lost 8 of their last 10 games. The Celtics should have the talent to win easily, but if they underestimate the Nets and come out with less than 100% effort, they be surprised with a loss.
X-Factors On the Road Again - The Celtics are playing on the road after 2 straight home games. They will be playing in front of a hostile crowd and have the distractions that go with travel and playing on the road. The Celtics need to focus on the game and not on the distractions that come with playing on the road and in an unfamiliar arena.
Officiating - I know that I say this every game, but the officiating always can be an x-factor in every game. Every crew calls the game differently whether they call every little ticky tack foul or they let a lot of contact go and let the teams play. Some refs favor the home team and some not so much. We have already seen a game where one call can change the outcome. The Celtics have got to adjust to the way the game is being called and not let the officiating take away from their focus.
Topic: Celtics (7-7) at Nets (2-11) Game #15 11/18/25 (Read 300 times)