Brooklyn @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 14, 2019 ) Boston 102, Brooklyn 109

The Boston Celtics stared down the two-time defending champions on Saturday night and came up just short but learned something about their team. The Celtics will try to put those lessons into practice and earn a sixth win in seven games when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.

Boston had three chances to tie or take the lead in the final minute but ended up falling 115-111 to the Golden State Warriors in a thriller. "I just think that we can play with anyone," Celtics center Al Horford told reporters. "It was nice to go out there, compete in that way. Give ourselves a chance to win there at the end. They’re the team to beat. Those guys really understand how to play. They know each other's strengths and things like that. They play really well so you have to play almost a flawless game to beat them." The Nets are making their way up near the top teams in the East with wins in six straight - a stretch that began with a 109-102 over the Celtics on Jan. 14. Brooklyn could take a step back after it was reported over the weekend that guard Spencer Dinwiddie would be undergoing surgery to repair a torn thumb ligament on Monday and is expected to miss three to six weeks.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), NBCS Boston

ABOUT THE NETS (27-23): Brooklyn was already short in the backcourt with Caris LeVert (foot) and Allen Crabbe (knee) out and will ask more of players like Shabazz Napier and Theo Pinson with Dinwiddie out of the lineup. Pinson, who is on a two-way contract, was called up on Friday and scored a season-high 19 points in a 109-99 win over the New York Knicks. "I shouldn’t say it was unexpected, but I didn't originally have him in the rotation," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters of Pinson. "I thought we were struggling and threw him in there, and we didn't want to take him out. ... It's a sign of a good program when you can plug guys in that haven't been playing or have been in the G League and they can produce at an NBA level. Theo is a great example of that and did a heck of a job."

ABOUT THE CELTICS (30-19): All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving did his best to pull Boston to a victory with 32 points and 10 assists on Saturday and joined Horford in saying that the team learned some lessons in the loss. "You know, just staying poised in certain situations, finishing plays, continuing to do the little things," Irving told reporters. "Obviously, going against the best you don't have a lot of room to make mistakes. Just cleaning some of that stuff up but we played pretty well. Had a few chances at the end but just didn’t go our way." Saturday marked Irving's fourth double-double in five games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Nets PF Ed Davis grabbed 16 rebounds in two of the last three games.

2. Celtics SF Gordon Hayward was held to two points on 0-of-5 shooting in 22 minutes on Saturday.

3. Brooklyn snapped a 10-game losing streak in the series with the win on Jan. 14.

PREDICTION: Celtics 122, Nets 118