(SportsNetwork.com) - The Brooklyn Nets will try to snap a two-game losing streak when they take on Atlantic Division rivals, the Boston Celtics, at the Barclays Center.
The Nets' slide came on the throws of a three-game winning streak as they've fallen two games under .500. Brooklyn lost in South Beach to the Miami Heat, then returned home and couldn't change the momentum.
The Nets fell to the Dallas Mavericks in Brooklyn on Monday, 96-88.
Brook Lopez had 22 points and 13 rebounds to lead Brooklyn, but scored just four after the first quarter. Jarrett Jack added 20 points and 10 assists and Joe Johnson scored 18 for the Nets, who made just one of their four shots in overtime.
Johnson buried two 3-pointers to key Brooklyn's 11-0 run late in the fourth quarter. Jack capped the flurry with a jumper on the right side to give them an 82-80 lead with 26.6 seconds remaining.
The Mavericks missed seven shots in a row and Rajon Rondo, who had 14 assists and 10 rebounds in the game, missed two free throws. But Monta Ellis' foul shots with 10.5 seconds left tied the score and Johnson missed a step-back jumper from the top of the key as time expired, sending the game to overtime.
"We battled," Nets coach Lionel Hollins said. "We had a chance to win it. I think (Johnson's) 40-something minutes two nights in a row maybe kept him from making the shot."
The Celtics have lost three straight and seven of their last eight. Boston begins a three-game road trip with stops in Indiana and Toronto on the schedule.
The Celtics are 0-4 in their last four as the visitor, but fell at home last time out. The Charlotte Hornets marched into Boston and left with a 104-95 win on Monday.
Jared Sullinger paced Boston with 22 points and eight rebounds as the Celtics fell to 2-7 since trading Rajon Rondo to the Dallas Mavericks.
The Celtics got 55 points from their bench, led by Jae Crowder and James Young each depositing 13.
After not having led since the game was 2-0 through 24 seconds, the Celtics made a late comeback bid. Down by 16 with 7:47 remaining, Boston's 10-0 run that included 3-pointers from Crowder and Young got them within two possessions.
"I was kind of nervous when I first got in, my first time playing really in the regular season," said Young. "I was just trying to go out there in the second half and just be aggressive, everyone told me just to be aggressive."
The Hornets called timeout, and Marvin Williams' 3-point play on the next possession restored order. That started a 12-3 Charlotte run that ran its lead back to 15 points with 2 1/2 minutes to go.
Boston scored the next eight points and did not allow Charlotte to hit another shot from the floor, but the Hornets hit four free throws in the final minute to hang on.
The teams have split two games this season, both in Boston. The Nets have won three of four versus the Celtics since moving to Brooklyn.
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