One night after opening the Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Nets hit the road for a preseason game against the Boston Celtics. The Nets sat their top six key players, with Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, and Joe Johnson all sitting out at TD Garden. Despite a limited lineup, the Nets hung with the Celtics all evening in a back-and-forth game and edged out the C's, 97-96, in the final minute.
Andray Blatche has been an unexpected bright spot for the Nets early in the preseason, as the slimmed down big man has been able to pour it in form the post. Blatche had his way at times with the Boston interior defense on Tuesday, pulling off an array of moves in the post -- both with his back to the basket and facing up. He finished with 23 points and nine rebounds, and got the better of Boston rookie Jared Sullinger.
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Joining Blatche in double figures was Mirza Teletovic, who rode a big first half to an 18-point night. Teletovic could be a nice weapon on the outside with his shooting, setting up on the arc and benefitting from Deron's dribble-drive efforts. Teletovic took a team-high 17 shots, and hit four from beyond the arc for an impressive evening.
The Celtics will now head South to the Barclays Center for the second leg of the home-and-home series on Thursday night.