February 25, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) speaks with a referee during the second half of the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images Even though the Boston Celtics are coming off their worst offensive performance of the season, Jaylen Brown believes his team will be feeling good going into Friday night’s game against the visiting Brooklyn Nets.
The Celtics had a poor second half in a 103-84 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. Boston’s point total and shooting percentage (34.9 percent) were both season lows, and the Celtics were outscored 56-36 in the final two quarters.
The result ended Boston’s four-game winning streak. Three of those wins came away.
“It would have been nice to finish the road trip strong with a win, but coming straight out of the All-Star break at 3-1 on the West Coast swing isn’t bad,” Brown said. “We just have to get better little by little.
“I like where we are as a group. I think we’re playing really good basketball. I think our guys have improved in areas that we’re continuing to push, so we’ve got to keep that going.”
Boston played its third game in four days on Wednesday. The Celtics beat the Phoenix Suns 97-81 on Tuesday without Brown (right knee contusion), but he led the Celtics in scoring (23) and rebounds (11) against Denver.
“I like where we are as a team,” Brown said. “It’s a good test to go back home and play in front of the home crowd, but we have some tough matchups coming up so we have to be prepared.”
The Celtics are 9-2 in their last 11 games.
“(A) 3-1 trip … we played four good teams,” Boston’s Derrick White said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game in a row. I think we’re in a really good position. There’s obviously a lot of room for improvement and we’ll continue to work on it, but it’s a big game here on Friday and we’ve got to be ready for it.”
A game against the Nets could be just what the Celtics need to get back on track. Brooklyn lost 126-110 to the visiting San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, snapping the Nets’ sixth straight loss. Michael Porter led the Nets with 25 points and 14 rebounds.
“I believe we can be better than this. That’s the message: Strive to be better. Be ready to compete,” Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said after the latest loss. “We don’t waste opportunities. Every game in the last 24 games has to be played with intention.
“We move on to the next game. It’s an exciting game (Friday). I know the whole team is interested. We just have to go out there and fight and be 1% better.”
Brooklyn ranks last in the NBA in scoring (107.0 points per game), field goal percentage (44.4%) and rebounding (40.4 boards per game).
Although he didn’t score, Josh Minot made his Brooklyn debut in Thursday’s loss. Boston sent Minott to Brooklyn in exchange for cash at the trade deadline.
Minott most recently played for Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. He played 15.9 minutes per game for the Celtics this season, averaging 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds.
Friday’s game will be the fourth meeting between Brooklyn and Boston this season. The Celtics won 113-99 on the road on Nov. 18, and the Nets won 113-105 in Boston three days later. The most recent matchup was a 130-126 overtime win for the Celtics on January 23, in which Brown had 27 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
–Field level media
