Nets, down 28 to Celtics, pull off NBA's largest comeback of season

BOSTON — The Brooklyn Nets entered TD Garden for Friday night's game against the Boston Celtics already on a four-game losing streak.

Then, midway through the second quarter, Brooklyn found itself staring at a 28-point deficit — and, for all the world, seemed well on its way to a fifth straight defeat.

The Nets, though, had other ideas.

«There was a point in that first quarter, early second quarter, where we looked at each other and said, 'We're not going out this way,' and it kind of brought us together,» Nets forward Cam Johnson said.

It not only brought Brooklyn together — it also served as a catalyst for a truly remarkable turn of events, as not only did the Nets find a way to get back into the game, they managed to completely erase that deficit by the early part of the third quarter and never looked back, pulling away and winning 115-105 over the formerly East-leading Celtics in front of a shell-shocked sellout crowd.

The Brooklyn victory was the single largest comeback win of the season for any NBA team, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, and tied the largest comeback by any team over the last 25 seasons.

It also snapped a 10-game losing streak for the Nets against the Celtics, including last season's playoffs.

«I think we took our foot off the gas,» said Jaylen Brown, who led Boston with 35 points, «and [Brooklyn] just ramped up their pressure a little bit.»

What was a celebratory mood in the opening minutes of the game — one Boston led 37-15 after one quarter and 51-23 with 7:23 remaining in the second — was replaced by dismay and several rounds of boos as Brooklyn went on a ridiculous 83-39 run over a 24-minute, 29-second span to turn this night completely on its head.

«We started off well,» said