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Clear game
In Game 2 between Brooklyn and Boston, the stars didn’t always shine brightly.
The Nets’ Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, and the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, didn’t have their best offensive plays.
But Brown and Tatum had just enough shine, and just enough help from their teammates, to earn a 114-107 win in another competitive, high-intensity game that looks more like a Conference Finals match than a 2-7 series in the first round.
Brown shrugged off his offensive struggles in three quarters and scored 10 points in the fourth quarter as the Celtics took control and edged the Nets 29-17 in the final quarter. Boston, 17 minutes behind in the first half, didn’t lead until 7:49 in the fourth quarter.
Brown finished with 22 points and Tatum had 19 points, 10 assists and six rebounds.
The Celtics have a 2-0 lead in the series and Game 3 is Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Brooklyn.
Celtics limit Durant again
Durant finished with 27 points but 18 came on free throws. He was only 4-for-17 off the field after 9-for-24 in Game 1. The Celtics’ schedule is no secret. “We have to do our part and continue to be aggressive and physical on defense and not sit back and wait for him to be in attack mode,” said Celtics coach Ime Udoka.
From Marcus Smart to Al Horford, the Celtics used multiple defenders against Durant in Game 2. On some possessions, the Celtics were so physical that Durant bounced around like a pinball, and Celtics defenders poked their hands in the basketball every time Durant caught it.
Durant was 10-0 off the field in the second half and four of his six turnovers resulted in nine Celtics points.
The Celtics made a tactical decision. Let Bruce Brown (23 points), Seth Curry (16 points) and Goran Dragic (18 points) score. Just don’t let Durant score 30 or more with high efficiency.
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
Others helped Celtics win
Tatum and Brown were okay offensively — a combined 14-on-32 with seven turnovers — and Brown really needs to turn on his offense in the fourth quarter to put 50% on the game.
While Tatum and Brown weren’t attacking in the first three quarters, others scored. Horford had 16 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block and is helping the Celtics make up for Robert Williams’ absence while he recovers from knee surgery.
Center Daniel Theis had 15 points, forward Grant Williams had 17 points and six rebounds off the bench, and reserve guard Payton Pritchard had eight of his 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Irving takes a break for food and drink
Irving observes Ramadan and fasts (no food or liquid) from sunrise to sunset. With 3:09 into the first quarter, Irving went to the locker room for snacks, including fruit and fluids.
Irving, who performed exceptionally in Game 1 with 39 points, had just 10 points in Game 2 on 4-for-13 shooting.
“We’re physical, we’re a hard-nosed team, so there’s no need to send a message. We’ll just be ourselves.” – Grant Williams speaks along @tvabby after the Celtics’ 17-point comeback win pic.twitter.com/FzKhqddgJs
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) April 21, 2022
Celtics fans versus Irving
The NBA fined Irving $50,000 for obscene gestures and profane language to fans in Game 1.
There is a story between Boston and Irving, who played for the Celtics and announced he would re-sign with them in 2019. Instead, he signed with the Nets during free agency.
It seemed like Irving refrained from obscene gestures and profanity. However, Celtics fans serenaded Irving with appropriate boos and inappropriate “(Expletive) Kyrie” chants.
Offensive stands for Brooklyn
With Irving and Durant, Brooklyn has offense. But could the Nets score enough against the league’s No. 1 defense? You can’t score enough. After scoring 114 points in Game 1, the Nets had 65 points in the first half of Game 2. Brooklyn shot 24-40 (60%) from the field in the first half, including 50% on 3-pointers.
But once that hot gunfight died down, Brooklyn’s offensive faltered. Player movement and ball movement were solid in the first half. Not so good in the second half when Irving disappeared.
The Nets shot 30.5% in the second half, went five minutes early in the fourth quarter, and had just six points in the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter.
Part of that is Boston’s defense. Part of that is Brooklyn’s stagnant offense. It’s difficult to win when your two stars (Durant and Irving) are tied at 1:17 in the second half.
Kyrie Irving on the Celtics defense takes him out of the game: “Ime knows us really well… I think he has some keys in the treasure chest that he’s telling these guys.” pic.twitter.com/BRDAXxRWII
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) April 21, 2022
Will Ben Simmons make his season debut?
Guard Ben Simmons, who the Nets acquired from Philadelphia at the close, is working his way back into basketball condition and overcoming a bad back.
How close is he to playing? Nets coach Steve Nash said he trained Wednesday morning and ESPN reported that Simmons is targeting Game 4 for a possible debut.
Nash did not confirm this.
“I don’t think we’re targeting any game,” he said. “We’re trying to see how he develops, how he progresses. That’s something with recent history since trading, it hasn’t been easy. While it’s exciting to see him on the ground and seeing him progress, I don’t think all of us are saying, ‘It’s imminent.’ We’re going to sit back and support him and see how far he goes and if he can play, that would be great. We didn’t log anything or draw any conclusions.”
Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt.