The Nets were one possession away from pulling off an improbable comeback during Saturday's matchup with the Celtics.

Brooklyn shot just 8-for-23 in the second quarter while the Celtics went 14-for-23, with three of their makes coming from Brown and four from Luke Kornet. The Nets trailed by as many as 21 points in the period and went into halftime facing a 63-51 deficit.

First the Nets lost their best scorer. Then they lost a heartbreaker to basketball’s best team. Hours after finding out Cam Thomas will miss the rest of the season, Brooklyn was edged 115-113 by defending champion Boston in front of a sellout crowd of 18,

Kristaps Porzingis led the Celtics in scoring in his return to action, and Boston survived a surging Nets team in the final minute.

Kristaps Porzingis scored 24 points in his return from an eight-game absence with an illness to help the Boston Celtics hold off the Brooklyn Nets 115-113.