In Game 1, the Boston Celtics stepped into the clutch to defeat the Brooklyn Nets. Game 2 was about overcoming adversity.
The C’s stumbled out of the gate and were as much as 17 points down Wednesday night. They erased a 10-point halftime deficit and eventually prevailed in a dominant fourth quarter, beating Brooklyn by 12. The full house at TD Garden was treated to an exciting 114-107 comeback win that put Boston 2-0 up in the first-round series.
Seven Celtics scored in double digits, with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum taking the lead with 22 and 19 points, respectively. Tatum added a game-high 10 assists, and Grant Williams made a major contribution with 17 points from the bench.
Kevin Durant paced the nets with 27 points, but it was far from an efficient night for the future Hall of Famer. Bruce Brown added 23 in the loss for Brooklyn.
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Here are our takeaways from the Celtics’ brave win as the series travels to Brooklyn for Game 3 on Saturday night.
Jaylen Brown leads rally in fourth quarter
The Celtics’ resilience was shown when they refused to go down without a fight in Wednesday’s showdown. They built away Brooklyn’s 17-point lead and reduced it to five before heading into the fourth quarter. At that point, they had Brooklyn right where they wanted them.
After a slow start, Jaylen Brown bounced back and scored his team-best 10 of 22 points in fourth place. The effort helped Boston start the frame on a 16-4 run, and the Nets never had an answer.
Brown wasn’t the only star in the last quarter. Payton Pritchard drilled one of the biggest shots of the night, a go-ahead 3-pointer with just under eight minutes to go. He finished the game with 10 points off the bench (eight in the fourth quarter) while shooting 5 of 7 off the floor and grabbing four rebounds.
Jayson Tatum wasn’t at his best for most of the night, but he performed when it mattered most. In the fourth, he scored seven of his 19 points, including two late shots to keep the Nets from sneaking back in.
Celtics Bigs save the day
Brown and Tatum were top scorers and had their moments in the fourth quarter, but Boston won’t win this game without a great trio of men, Al Horford, Daniel Theis and Grant Williams.
While Brown and Tatum struggled mightily in the first half, the Bigs of the C kept the game within reach. Horford followed up his outstanding Game 1 with an impressive Game 2. The 35-year-old finished the tournament with 16 points, six rebounds, two steals and a block. He was the only C starter without sales.
Daniel Theis showed his own offensive performance with 15 points (7-9 FG). The German Big Man added six boards and a steal.
Grant Williams helped shift the momentum in Boston’s favor with eight straight points and a block to end the fourth quarter. He scored 11 straight Celtics points and finished with 17 off the bench (3-3 3-PT) to go with six rebounds.
Horford, Theis and Williams combined for 48 points, 17-23.
Another free night for Kevin Durant
“Will the real KD please stand up?”
That’s the mood in Brooklyn right now as the Celtics’ defense once again made Kevin Durant look like a shell of himself. The Nets superstar had a game-high 27 points, but that number is misleading. Eighteen of those points came from the free throw line. Durant was a lazy 4-for-17 from the field with six turnovers.
But wait, it gets worse.
When Brooklyn needed Durant most, he was nowhere to be found. He was 0-for-10 with four turnovers in the second half. In Games 1 and 2 combined, KD is 13-41 (31.7%) off the ground with 12 turnovers.
Nets coach Steve Nash opened up about his star’s struggles after the loss.
“I think (the Celtics) are physical,” Nash said. “He felt uncomfortable. He didn’t look like he was able to find his rhythm.”
Steve Nash on Kevin Durant’s frustration: “They’re physical… he was uncomfortable. He didn’t look like he could find his rhythm.” pic.twitter.com/6Xs1a3XkHS
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) April 21, 2022
Durant wasn’t the only Nets star to have had a rough night. After dropping 39 points in Game 1 in front of the TD Garden crowd, Kyrie Irving had just 10 points and shot off the floor 4-on-13 in Game 2.
Note: Games 3-6 of the Brooklyn Nets-Boston Celtics series will air on NBC Sports Boston and are also available to stream on NBCSportsBoston.com or using the MyTeams app, which you can download below.