BOSTON — Everyone said Kevin Durant wouldn’t fight as hard in Game 2 against the Celtics on Wednesday night as he did in Sunday’s Nets opening loss.
You were right. He was worse.
And Kyrie Irving fought right alongside him in the Nets’ 114-107 loss in front of a sold-out crowd of 19,156 at TD Garden.
The Nets led by as much as 17 points late in the second quarter but screwed up and then coughed up a 13-2 run that extended into the fourth and left them 96-92 behind. They never recovered and are now 2-0 down on the first-round series.
Durant finished with a team-high 27 points but shot 4-for-17 with six turnovers. Just an 18-for-20 night from the free throw line made Durant’s overall results look good.
Irving was held to just 10 points in 4-for-13 shooting after a 39-point breakout in Game 1.
Jayson Tatum hits a home during the Nets’ 114-107 loss in Game 2 to the Celtics.NY Post: Charles Wenzelberg
“They are physical. They’re up and running [Durant], grab him, hold him, all that stuff you expect,” Nets coach Steve Nash said of the Celtics’ defense. “He was uncomfortable and didn’t look like he would be able to find his rhythm.”
Uncomfortable is an understatement.
In the Nets’ two losses, Durant shoots just 31.7 percent (13 to 41 overall). It’s the first time in his career that he’s shot below 40 percent and committed at least six turnovers in consecutive games.
“Sometimes they’ll play two or three guys against me when I’m not on the ball and screw up actions when I’m running stuff,” Durant said. “I understand [Al] Horford leaves his man and sometimes comes over to hit me. Everywhere I go, two or three guys hit me. That’s just the nature of the beast in the playoffs.”
Kevin Durant, who scored 27 points, shoots over Daniel Theis during the Nets loss. NY Post: Charles Wenzelberg
Boston has been more beastly in these playoffs so far.
Teams that go 2-0 up in a seven-game streak win 92.4 percent of the time (302-25).
And the nets? At the other end of the equation, they’re 0-7 without a win.
Game 3 takes place at the Barclays Center on Saturday, where the Nets failed to gain home field advantage in the regular season. That’d better change in the postseason, or it could mean a first-round exit.
“I think our intensity dropped a bit in the second half. Made a big difference,” Nash said. “I thought they were still physical.”
Irving said: “In terms of our intensity, I partially agree with Steve’s assessment. But we as players on the pitch have to control that and be able to cope with the situation. As simple as that.”
Kyrie Irving, held on 10 points, blocks Jaylen Brown’s shot during the Nets’ loss. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Bruce Brown (23 points, eight rebounds) personally beat his hometown team 9-0 in the first 2:33 to give the Nets an early lead they spent most of the rest of the night defending — and failed.
They went ahead 62-45 on a running Durant pull-up with 1:45 in the first half. But the Nets have struggled to finish quarterfinals all season, and that came back to bite them not once, but twice as they gave away another game.
The Nets coughed up a 25-10 run that extended into the break, fueled by Boston’s shifting, long-armed defense. Jayson Tatum (19 points, 10 assists) found Horford for a 3-pointer to make it 72-68 with 8:12 in the third, and when Durant was stripped by Jaylen Brown (22 points) it turned into a Tatum dunk that drew the Celtics within 72-70 with 7:38 to go in the fourth.
Seth Curry’s 3-pointer temporarily stopped the bleeding, and Durant hit two from the line to propel the Nets up 77-70 with just under seven minutes to go. But Boston kept coming back.
Durant missed two free throws and Grant Williams hit two at the other end to reduce the Nets’ lead to 79-77. And Daniel Theis’ knight in lane wiped it out completely, even drawing Boston with 3:13 remaining in the third.
After Smart tied it at 81-all, the Nets launched a 7-0 run that put them in the lead. Patty Mills’ 3-pointer made it 88-81 with 1:18 remaining in third place. But it didn’t last.
Even after the Nets got back up 90-83, they gave up a 13-2 run.
Payton Pritchard’s 20-foot move back put Boston ahead for the first time, playing 94-92 with 7:49. And after Irving lost the ball out of bounds, Jaylen Brown’s driving layup left the nets in a four-point hole.
They never recovered.
“We want to get into their airspace. I think we did that,” said Celtics coach Ime Udoka about his strategy against Durant.
“We want to get him to work defensively and have body offensively all the time. Try to wear him down. It takes everyone’s effort to reach him and know the game plan.