What to KnowThe Celtics are now 1-2 in 2025 NBA Cup Group B play, along with a minus-20 point differential. The Celtics (8-8) are back to .500 on the season. This defeat snaps their three-game win streak.Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 26 points. Anfernee Simons chipped in 23 off the bench.Michael Porter Jr. paced the Nets with 33 points, 16 of which came in the fourth quarter.Boston’s chances of advancing to the knockout stage of the NBA Cup are very slim.
The Boston Celtics didn’t just need to win Friday’s 2025 NBA Cup game against the Brooklyn Nets at TD Garden, they needed a large margin of victory to improve their point differential in the Group B standings.
The C’s accomplished neither objective.
A 40-point second quarter helped the Nets earn a 113-105 win — just their third victory of the season. The defeat drops the Celtics back to .500 at 8-8.
The Celtics drop to fourth place in the Group B standings, and their chances of reaching the knockout rounds of the tournament are pretty much slim to none, especially with a minus-20 point differential (the second tiebreaker after head-to-head). The C’s need a massive win against the Pistons in their final group stage game next Wednesday, plus losses by other teams in the group, to have any chance of going through.
Check out our Celtics-Nets live blog below for a full recap of Boston’s loss: