Nets fall short as Celtics extend winning streak to 13 games

The Nets fought hard but fell short 109-102 as the Celtics extended their winning streak to 13 Monday night in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn was without D'Angelo Russell who is recovering from a knee contusion. There is no timetable for Russell's return.

Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 26 points. Jayson Tatum (19) and Jaylen Brown (14), both selected via Nets picks, combined for 33 points on 11-18 shooting. Oh, what could have been.

Joe Harris set a career high with 19 points on 5-11 three point shooting. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson continued to play well, posting 16 points and nine rebounds.

Boston jumped out to an early 14 point lead, but Brooklyn would not go away. Caris LeVert provided a spark off the bench and Joe Harris' shot began to fall as the Nets came back to build a six point lead in the second quarter.

The Celtics began to pull away in the second half, but once again the Nets clawed back to within five points with less than four minutes remaining.

However, that is as close as Brooklyn would get as Kyrie Irving proved to be unstoppable in the final minutes.

The biggest positive taken from this game for Brooklyn was the play of Caris LeVert. The second year Net has had a rough start to the season after an impressive rookie campaign. The Michigan product has looked out of control and struggled to find his touch from the field as of late.

LeVert scored 15 points with four assists and made both of his three point attempts. LeVert looked confident and under control Tuesday night. The 23-year-old did not hesitate to pull the trigger on his jump shot and played tough defense the entire game.

A solid performance against the hottest team in the league could get the ball rolling in the right direction for LeVert.

The Nets will remain in Brooklyn for a matchup with the Utah Jazz Friday night before a tough stretch featuring Golden State, Cleveland, and Houston.