Yet another insane comeback in the NBA. The Lakers came back from 27 points Sunday. The Warriors had a 41-point turnaround Tuesday. And the Nets trumped them both Friday night.
The Nets were down as many as 28 points before pulling off a stunning comeback in Boston.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 4, 2023
It matches the Nets' largest comeback in the play-by-play era (since 1996-97) and represents the Celtics' second-largest blown lead over that span. pic.twitter.com/0yLOXcZyvQ
Brooklyn's 28-point comeback was the largest in the NBA this season, and came against the team with the league's second-best record, to boot. At its darkest point, Boston led 37-15 through one quarter, a lead which they stretched to 51-23 halfway through the second quarter. Then, Mikal Bridges started going to the basket, scoring a quick 15 points to get the Nets right back into the contest.
Perhaps the most remarkable part of the comeback was the speed at which it occurred. Boston's lead was down to nine by the end of the second quarter and had been erased outright before the third quarter was even half over.
All tied up. pic.twitter.com/1y8gkGRWH0
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 4, 2023
Brooklyn seemed to be outworking Boston at times, but the main driver of the comeback was Mikal Bridges, who lit up the stat sheet like a star. Bridges finished with 38 points and 10 rebounds, even shaking off an apparent injury to play 43 total minutes.
Mikal Bridges limped off the floor after appearing to hurt his leg on this play, but stayed in the game
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) March 4, 2023
Bridges has yet to miss a game in his career (373 games played)pic.twitter.com/mXRd9xvZF7
Bridges has averaged 25.2 points since coming to Brooklyn in the deal which sent Kevin Durant to the Suns.
As for Boston, the Celts again looked ordinary when their three-point shots failed to fall, canning just 2-of-13 shots in the second half from deep as they watched their once-monster lead melt away. With the loss, Boston now sits one game behind Milwaukee for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Of course, in this year of comebacks, no lead is safe. Boston, who led the East for two straight months, knows that all too well.
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