Cam Johnson of the Nets drives to the basket against Boston’s Derrick White during Brooklyn’s 115-105 win Friday night. Michael Dwyer/Associated Press
BOSTON — Mikal Bridges scored 38 points and the Brooklyn Nets overcame a 28-point deficit to stun the Boston Celtics 115-105 on Friday night.
Part of the trade that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix, Bridges has reached 30 or more points in three of Brooklyn’s last six games. He also had 10 rebounds, playing nearly 43 minutes.
Cam Johnson, also part of the Durant trade, added 20 points. Dorian Finney-Smith finished with 17.
It is the largest comeback by a Boston opponent since the Los Angeles Clippers rallied from 28 down to beat Boston 123-112 at TD Garden on Feb. 9, 2019.
The Celtics have lost two out of three and lost more ground on East-leading Milwaukee, which was idle Friday.
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 35 points. Jayson Tatum, who was celebrating his 25th birthday, added 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Boston was outscored 69-43 over the second and third quarters.
The Nets scored just 23 points in the first 16 minutes, allowing Boston to go up 51-23 with 7:23 left in the first half.
The lead evaporated in a rash of pull-up jumpers and one-and-done possessions for the Celtics as Brooklyn mounted a 57-23 run. The Nets cut the deficit to 64-55 by halftime and nudged in front 80-74 with 3:56 in the third quarter. The lead grew to 106-90 early in the fourth.
During one wild sequence, the Nets secured four offensive rebounds and had five shots on a single possession before the Celtics were finally able to corral the ball, triggering a fast break and layup by Derrick White. It was one of the few highlights for Boston the rest of the way.
The Celtics also lost big man Robert Williams, who left early in the third quarter because of left hamstring tightness.
A 3-pointer by Marcus Smart got Boston as close as 110-102 with just over four minutes to play. But Finney-Smith answered with a 3 of his own on the Nets’ next possession.
NEW INJURY FOR SIMMONS
Nets Coach Jacque Vaughn said Ben Simmons began experiencing some back soreness this week while starting to increase his activity to strengthen the sore left knee that has kept him sidelined since the All-Star break. There isn’t a timeline for him to return, and there hasn’t been discussion of sitting him down for the remainder of the season.
TIP-INS
Nets: Outscored the Celtics 40-27 in the second quarter, shooting 65% (15 of 23) from the field. Bridges had 15 points in the quarter. … Johnson, who celebrated his 27th birthday, was whistled for three fouls in less than three minutes at the start of the game. It contributed to the Nets putting Boston in the bonus at the 8:48 mark of the opening quarter.
Celtics: Went 0 for 6 from the 3-point line in third quarter. … Al Horford played his 1,000th regular-season game. He’s the 11th active player to reach that plateau. After his milestone was announced to the TD Garden crowd, he capped the ensuing possession with a 3-pointer to put Boston in front 16-5.
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