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Brooklyn Nets (0-3) at Boston Celtics (2-1)
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #4, Home Game #3
TV: NBCSB, YES, League Pass
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 101.9 FM, Sirius XM
TD Garden Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
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Derrick White vs Egor Demin
Shooting Guard 
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Jordan Walsh vs Keon Ellis
Small Forward 
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Paul George vs Michael Porter, Jr
Power Forward 
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Jayson Tatum vs Julius Randle
Center 
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Mitchell Robinson vs Day'Ron Sharpe
Celtics ReservesChris Cenac, Jr
Mike Conley, Jr
Luka Garza
Hugo Gonzalez
Ron Harper, Jr
Sam Hauser
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Baylor Scheierman
Two Way PlayersDevin Carter
Dillon Mitchell
Amari Williams
Injuries/OutDevin Carter (illness) out
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Nets Reserves Mikel Brown, Jr
Noah Clowney
Joshua Jefferson
Terrance Mann
Josh Minott
Drake Powell
Ben Seraf
Nolan Traore
Moritz Wagner
Danny Wolf
Two-Way PlayersTyler Bilodeau
Chaney Johnson
Grant Nelson
Injuries/Out Tyler Bilodeau (shoulder) questionable
Head CoachJordi Fernandez
Game Notes The Celtics host the Brooklyn Nets for their 3rd straight home game. This is the first of 4 games between these two teams this season. They will play again in Boston on January 16. They will meet twice in Brooklyn on December 13 and March 23. The Celtics were 3-1 against the Nets last season, with Brooklyn's lone win in Boston. The Celtics are 148-75 overall, all time against the Nets. They are 78-35 all time in games played in Boston.
The Celtics are playing on the second night of back to back games. This is the first of 16 back to back sets for the Celtics this season, which is the most for any team this season. The average is 14.2 back to backs. The Celtics early schedule is brutal with four stretches of three games in four nights before December. They had an easy win on Monday with no player going more than 27 minutes. Hopefully their depth will help them maneuver this stretch successfully.
The Nets have made several changes in the offseason. Their biggest addition is Julius Randle, who they got in a trade with the Timberwolves. They also added Moritz Wagner, Keon Ellis, and former Celtic, Josh Minott. They drafted Mikel Brown, Jr with the 6th pick and Joshua Jefferson with the 28th pick. They lost Malachi Smith, Ochai Agbaji, Tyson Etienne, EJ Liddell, Zaire Williams and Jalen Wilson.
The Celtics went 4-0 in the preseason, winning with their starters in 2 of the games and winning two other games with their reserves and Exhibit 10 players. They beat Cleveland, Charlotte and Philadelphia twice. The Nets also had a good preseason, beating Charlotte, Philadelphia and Washington before losing to the Miami Heat.
After this game, the Celtics will play home against Chicago for the first NBA Cup game. They will then play at Orlando and Houston and then home against Milwaukee before a road trip takes them through Charlotte, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Toronto. They play Dallas and Orlando at home before a West coast trip that takes them through Denver, Sacramento, Golden State, and Washington.
The Nets will host Detroit before traveling to Indiana and New York. Then they have one game at home before playing at Atlanta, Dallas, New Orleans and Memphis. Next they host Philadelphia, Chicago and Orland before games at Minnesota, Milwaukee, Toronto, and Charlotte. Then they have a home and home set against Oklahoma City before hosting Boston. Then they play at Detroit before a 6 game home stand against Dallas, Orlando, Washington, Portland, San Antonio and New Orleans.
The Celtics started Derrick White, Jordan Walsh, Paul George, Jayson Tatum and Mitchell Robinson in the first 3 games and I have once again listed the same starters for this game. It's also possible that Joe may change this up for this game, especially if the Celtics plan to rest Tatum, George, or Robinson on the second night of back to back games. I've listed the Nets starters from their last game, which are Egor Demin, Keon Ellis, Michael Porter, Jr, Julius Randle, and Day'Ron Sharpe.
The Celtics still have just Devin Carter on the injury report due to illness. After missing the final 3 games of the preseason, Carter was diagnosed with mononucleosis and is without a timetable for a return. Although, they could list some players for rest before the game. For the Nets, 2-Way player, Tyler Bilodeau, has missed the last 3 games and is listed as questionable with a shoulder injury.
Key Matchups vs
Paul George vs Michael Porter, Jr
Porter is averaging 27 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1 assist and 3.5 steals per game. He is shooting 51.3% from the field and 45.0% from beyond the arc. He is a threat from both in the paint and on the perimeter and the Celtics need to defend him wherever he is on the court. The Celtics also need to be careful handling the ball around him because he is averaging 3.5 steals per game. Although Paul George has said he plans to play in back to back games this season, it's possible that Joe may sit him for rest in this one.
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Jayson Tatum vs Julius Randle
Randle is averaging 28 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists per game. He is shooting 58.1% from the field and 55.6% from beyond the arc. As with Porter, he is a threat both inside and on the perimeter. He is strong and will be tough to stop in the paint. The Celtics need to defend him closely and play him for both the shot and the pass.
Honorable MentionDerrick White vs Ego Demin
Demin is averaging 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. He is shooting 35% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. He is capable of having a big game so the Celtics need to guard him closely. The Celtics also need Derrick White to get back to being a consistent offensive threat.
Keys to the GameDefense - As always, defense is the key to winning this, and every, game. In the preseason, the Celtics were tops in the league with a defensive rating of 98.6. The biggest problem in the Celtics collapse against the Pistons was their failure on the defensive end. Likewise, one of the biggest factors in their win over the Knicks was their defense. They held New York to just 103 points and also forced 18 turnovers, leading to 19 points off turnovers. The Celtics need to continue to make defense their priority.
Rebound - As with defense, rebounding will always be a key to winning. The Celtics have to crash the boards as a team and go after every rebound. In the preseason, the Celtics were 1st with 55 rebounds per game and 3rd with 16.8 offensive rebounds per game. So far in the regular season, they are 17th in rebounding with 43.3 rebounds per game. The Nets are 20th with 42 rebounds per game. Robinson and Queta are 2 of the best rebounders in the league and they need to be aggressive on the boards. The Celtics need to do what they do best and win the rebounding battle against the Nets.
3 Point Shooting - The Celtics are 5th, shooting 41.7 threes a game while the Nets are 8th, shooting 37.8 threes per game. The Celtics are 1st, shooting 42.4% from beyond the arc while the Nets are 8th, shooting 37.8% from beyond the arc. Both teams shoot a lot of 3's and make a good percentage of them. The Celtics can't afford to have a drought from beyond the arc as they did in the 2nd half against the Pistons. They need to focus on taking and making good shots. If the 3's stop falling, they need to take the ball into the paint.
Be Aggressive and Play Hard - One of the hallmarks of the Nets in recent years is that they play hard. The Celtics have to be the team that plays harder. They need to be aggressive on the boards, in going to the hoop, in diving for loose balls, and just overall throughout the game. Talented teams can be beaten if they allow their opponents to play harder than them. I know that they are playing on the second night of back to back games, but they have to come out strong and play hard right up until the final buzzer.
Take Care of the Ball - Going into Monday's game, the Celtics were best in the league at taking care of the ball with just 12.5 turnovers per game. Against the Bulls on Monday, they turned the ball over 24 times, which dropped them to 16th, averaging 16.7 turnovers per game. They have to clean that up and take better care of the ball. They need to be more careful with their passes and also focus on handling the ball without losing it.
X-Factors
Home Game - The Celtics need to take advantage of home court and the boost their fans can give them. The Nets will face a hostile crowd and an unfamiliar arena along with travel which will hopefully give the Celtics the edge. The Celtics need to play hard and protect home court and use the advantages it gives to get a win.
Back to Back - The Celtics could be facing fatigue from playing the night before. They do have the advantage that they didn't have to travel after Monday's game. They also were able to limit everyone's minutes on Monday and that should help them in this game. The Celtics should use their depth to avoid a let down from tired legs. The Celtics have young players who should be able to give them a boost if the starters start to feel some fatigue from playing the night before.
Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor in every game. Every crew officiates differently. Some call it tight, others let them play. The Celtics need to adjust to how the refs are calling the game and not allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus from playing the game. The Celtics also have to be aware of the new points of emphasis for this season and try to avoid flopping, off‑arm push‑offs, reckless closeouts, delays before free throws, and illegal screens. Paul George was already fined for a flop in the first game.
Topic: Nets (0-3) at Celtics (2-1) Game #4 10/27/26 (Read 100 times)