BSJ Live Coverage: Celtics at Nets 7:30 p.m. - A quick trip to Brooklyn

BOSTON CELTICS (27-16) at BROOKLYN NETS (12-30)

Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Game time: 7:30 p.m.

TV: NBC Sports Boston

Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub

Celtics injury report:

• Derrick White - OUT (rest)

• Neemias Queta - QUESTIONABLE (non-Covid illness)

• Josh Minott - OUT (left ankle sprain)

• Jayson Tatum - OUT (right Achilles repair)

• Amari Williams - OUT (G League two-way)

• Max Shulga - OUT (G League, two-way)

Nets injury report:

• Tyson Etienne - OUT (G League, two-way)

• Haywood Highsmith - OUT (right knee surgery)

• Chaney Johnson - OUT (G League, two-way)

• EJ Liddell - OUT (G League, two-way)

• Ben Saraf - OUT (G League, on assignment)

What to watch for: Despite having their hat in the ring for the Daryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer sweepstakes, the Brooklyn Nets have given the Boston Celtics some trouble this season.

After getting traded this summer, Michael Porter Jr. has emerged as a legitimate All-Star candidate. He primarily scores via off-ball opportunities, yet Jordi Fernandez has found a way to maximize that skill set.

Boston’s rotation-heavy defensive style struggled to keep up with him in a prior matchup, and it was ultimately their downfall.

Tale of the tape: The Celtics still took care of business in the first of their two meetings with the Nets, but even that game was close.

Boston led by only four points heading into the fourth quarter of its first game against the Nets this year. However, they stopped the Nets from recording a field goal for the first 10 minutes of the final frame, securing a 113-99 victory.

Just a few days later, though, Brooklyn got its revenge. Porter Jr. scored 33 on the TD Garden parquet, and Nicolas Claxton recorded a triple-double. A 40-25 second-quarter surge lifted the Nets to a 113-105 win in Boston.

Of all players who have faced the Celtics at least twice this season, Porter Jr. averages the second-most points per game (29.0), sitting only behind Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (34.0). In his two matchups vs. Boston, Porter Jr. has shot 56.8% from the field and 57.1% from deep (7.1 three-point attempts).

Last game: The Celtics took care of business their last time out, defeating the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. Jaylen Brown dropped 30 points as Boston earned a near-wire-to-wire victory (119-104), leading for the final three quarters.

Sam Hauser continued his hot streak from three-point range, drilling five triples, as Neemias Queta finished the night with 17 points and five blocks.

Standings check-in: The win over Indiana kept the Celtics firmly in second place in the East, though their loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday halted some serious momentum. Had they taken down the Pistons, they would be that much closer to the top spot. Instead, they remain 5.5 games back of the one seed, but still 1.5 games up on the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors in third and fourth.

Nets check-in: Brooklyn has been one of the coldest teams in basketball, having won just two of their last 10 games. They are currently on a three-game losing streak and lost their last contest by 54 points (120-66) to the Knicks.

"I think every time a team takes a loss like that, you expect them to come out with a lot of energy, a lot of fire," Luka Garza said of the Nets coming off their loss to the Knicks. "But for us, we also remember, last time we played them, and they beat our ass, so we have a lot of motivation coming into them tonight, too."

That said, Porter Jr. has remained effective. Over his last eight games, he’s averaging 23.5 points on 43.4% shooting from the floor and 35.7% shooting from deep (10.5 three-point attempts per game).

Rookie point guard Egor Demin has also been hot as of late. In his last eight games, he’s averaging 12.0 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting 47.0% from the field and 50.0% from distance (6.5 attempts).

Another name to watch is Day’Ron Sharpe. Boston was reportedly interested in signing him this summer with the goal of having him compete for their starting center spot. Now, with just under two weeks until the trade deadline, he could be a name to keep an eye on.

One fun play: Teams have begun sending extra pressure at Boston’s ball-handlers lately. As a result, Hauser and Queta have developed a beautiful chemistry that is spearheading the Celtics’ recent offensive success.

If an opposing big man presses up in the pick-and-roll, Queta slips the screen, often draws help from the corner, and Hauser is able to float open for a triple.

Claxton, Sharpe, and Noah Clowney could fall into this trap in Brooklyn.