LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The Brooklyn Nets stunned the Boston Celtics 115-105 on Friday, rallying from 28-point deficit to beat the Eastern Conference contenders on their home floor in the biggest comeback win of the National Basketball Association season.
Mikal Bridges scored 38 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Cameron Johnson, celebrating his 27th birthday, added 20 points for Brooklyn, who have struggled to find their form since the February trades that saw stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant depart.
They’d lost four straight, including a blowout loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday and looked to be heading for another lopsided defeat when the Celtics took a 51-23 lead with 7:23 left in the second quarter.
“We just kept fighting,” Bridges said. “We just kept fighting, we got stops and that was the biggest thing — defense and getting out in transition, but it all started with our defense.”
The Nets had whittled the deficit to nine points at halftime and took the lead for the first time — and for good — with 6:11 left in the third quarter.
The win marked the biggest comeback of the season, eclipsing the Lakers’ fightback from a 27-point deficit in a victory over Dallas.
Elsewhere, Julius Randle scored 43 points, draining the game-winning three-pointer with 1.7 seconds remaining to lift the New York Knicks to an eighth straight win, 122-120 over the Heat in Miami.
Jalen Brunson added 25 points for the surging Knicks.
Jimmy Butler scored 33 points for Miami and Tyler Herro added 29. Herro’s layup put the Heat ahead by one with 23.1 seconds left to play.
