BOSTON _ For three quarters, it was anything but a super Tuesday night for the Nets at TD Garden. But after trailing by 21 points in the third quarter, the Nets found a super sub in little-used Chris Chiozza, who sparked a rally led by budding superstar Caris LeVert, who scored a career-high 51 points, including all 11 Nets points in overtime of a shocking 129-120 victory over the Celtics.
The Nets were trailing the Celtics, 79-59, late in the third period when Nets coach Kenny Atkinson made a surprising decision to pull point guard Spencer Dinwiddie and insert Chiozza, who is on a two-way contract and has spent much of his season with the Long Island Nets. When the fourth quarter began with the Nets still down 17, Chiozza was in the backcourt alongside LeVert.
Maybe Atkinson was upset with the 21-1 difference in points off turnovers favoring the Celtics when Chiozza entered. To his credit, the 5-11 water-bug fast guard provided a spark with his hustle as the Nets cut their deficit to seven points with 6:19 left to play during a 19-6 run in which LeVert and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot each had six points. LeVert was the only Nets starter on the floor in that stretch.
After slipping behind by 13 again, the Nets had a 17-6 run that had 14 points from LeVert, including his fourth 3-pointer that cut the Nets' deficit to 110-108 with 1:31 left. With 19.9 seconds left, LeVert made the first of two free throws and missed the second, but the Nets rebounded before LeVert missed a potential tying 3.
After a pair of Celtics foul shots, LeVert found center DeAndre Jordan for a dunk that got the Nets within 118-115 at the 6.7-second mark. During the Celtics inbounds play, Rodions Kurucs tied up Kemba Walker and easily won the jump ball before the Nets called time with 1.4 seconds showing. LeVert was fouled in 3-point territory with 0.2 seconds left and made all three to send the game to overtime tied at 118. The Nets outscored the Celtics 51-34 in the fourth period, a franchise record for any quarter.
LeVert opened OT with eight straight points and ultimately outscored the Celtics by himself, 11-2 in the period. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak by the Nets (27-33), who climbed within a half-game of seventh place Orlando in the Eastern Conference.
LeVert had 14 points after three quarters and scored 37 in the fourth quarter and overtime on 11-for-16 shooting. Luwawu-Cabarrot added 16, and Chiozza totaled eight points and four assists and several hustle plays in his 21 minutes for the Nets, who face Memphis Wednesday night at Barclays Center.
The Celtics (41-19) were led by 22 points from Jaylen Brown and 21 from Kemba Walker.
Asked before the game if it's tough for the Nets to find themselves in such a grind after their preseason optimism, Atkinson said, "I love it. Embrace the struggle. I know that sounds corny, but we have to wrap our arms around this. I really think this is where you really learn a lot about your group."
It was hard to discern any sign of progress by the Nets in the first half, which ended with them trailing, 56-43. The Celtics scored on eight of their first nine possessions of the game and turned the Nets over repeatedly. In the second quarter, they held the Nets to a mere 15 points, ending on a 12-5 run for their biggest lead at the break.
At the half, the Nets had given up 16 points off 13 turnovers, while the Celtics had allowed a single Nets point off five turnovers and had 13 more field-goal attempts. It got worse early in the third period when the Celtics reeled off an 11-0 burst, including four from Brown, to push their lead to 71-50.
