While the effort may not be translating into consistent wins yet, it’s clear the Nets are improving. Tuesday’s matchup against the Celtics marked their fourth straight game where Brooklyn’s competitiveness was never in doubt. But after almost 40 minutes of trading blows inside Barclays Center, Boston’s poise showed. The Celtics closed strong for a 113-99 win, sending the Nets to 2-12 despite Sunday’s high from beating Washington.

What made the collapse tougher to stomach was how well the Nets played for most of the night.

Brooklyn came out firing, drilling four of its first five 3s and blitzing Boston with an 18-9 burst that had Barclays Center rocking. The Nets pushed the pace early, going 5-for-10 from deep and steamrolling the Celtics in transition with a 13-0 edge while building a

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