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Jaylen Brown scored 22 details, together with 10 in the fourth quarter, and the Boston Celtics rallied from 17 details down to beat the Brooklyn Nets 114-107 on Wednesday night and get a 2- guide in their very first-round series.
Jayson Tatum additional 19 points for the Celtics, who held Kevin Durant devoid of a basket in the 2nd fifty percent. Al Horford had 16 details, Daniel Theis scored 15 and Payton Pritchard had 8 of his 10 in the closing time period.
Durant completed with 27 factors but struggled from the industry for the next straight activity, capturing 4 of 17. Kyrie Irving experienced just 10 details on 4-of-13 capturing a working day soon after staying fined $50,000 for directing obscene gestures and profane language at Celtics admirers in the course of Recreation 1.
The collection shifts to Brooklyn for Sport 3 on Saturday night.
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Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant, centre, vies for the ball with Boston Celtics’ Al Horford (42) and Jayson Tatum () through the 1st half of Activity 2 of an NBA basketball first-round Eastern Meeting playoff sequence, Wednesday, April 20, 2022, in Boston.
(Online News 72h Picture/Michael Dwyer)
Durant and Irving ended up a blended 1 for 17 in the second half. Bruce Brown concluded with 23 details and Seth Curry added 16.
Mentor Ime Udoka claimed the approach to Durant is to get into his air house as a lot as doable.
“I assume we did that,” Udoka said. “We want to make him operate defensively and offensively have bodies on him the entire time and consider to don him down.”
The TD Yard faithful peppered Irving with boos in the course of, commencing with the pregame introductions. The quantity ratcheted up immediately after tipoff with the addition of “Kyrie sucks! Kyrie sucks!” chants on each and every of Brooklyn’s 1st two possessions. The boos returned when he acquired his palms on the ball.
Boston trailed the whole initially half but lastly caught up to tie it at 79 on a small jumper by Theis. The Nets had been in a position to settle in and took a 90-85 edge to the remaining period.
The Celtics tied it up all over again at 92 early in the fourth on a leaner by Jaylen Brown and took their very first direct of the recreation with 7:48 left on a jumper by Pritchard.
It was element of 23-4 operate that grew the Celtics’ guide to 108-96. The Nets went pretty much 3 minutes devoid of a basket through the stretch.
“I feel our depth dropped a very little bit in the next 50 %. We also did not transform,” Nets mentor Steve Nash said. “We experienced alternatives, we did not change.”
Bruce Brown claimed the Celtics overwhelmed them defensively.
“We just weren’t scoring at the other close,” he reported. “I just believe our physicality took a stage down in the 2nd fifty percent.”
The barrage of boos enthusiasts aimed at Irving did minimal to rattle Brooklyn early. The Nets jumped out to a 9- lead, which led to a swift Boston timeout. Bruce Brown experienced all 9 factors, aspect of a 12-stage quarter that assisted set Brooklyn in front 33-24.
The guide increased to 45-31 in the next, prompting yet another Celtics timeout. In the course of the split, Marcus Clever, who injured his still left thumb minutes earlier although diving on the ground soon after a unfastened ball, could be viewed grimacing as trainers attended to him on the bench.
He bought the thumb taped and remained in the activity, scoring six straight factors.
Brooklyn settled in and bought its direct as high as 15 just before a late flurry by Boston served it trim the deficit to 65-55 at 50 percent.
Tip-INS
Nets: Irving, who is observing Ramadan, came out of the activity with 3:23 remaining in the to start with quarter. He went to locker space and returned with food items, the solar having just established in Boston. … Curry was known as for a flagrant foul in the 1st after he grabbed Tatum’s arm and knocked him to the ground although breaking up a sure fast-crack basket.
Celtics: Had nine turnovers in the initially 50 %.
Earning Progress
Nets: Ben Simmons went via some call function with teammates on Wednesday, which Nash referred to as “one more move” in the place guard’s rehab efforts on his hurt back. But Nash explained an ESPN report that Simmons could return to motion as early as Activity 4 was news to him.
Celtics center Robert Williams III has began participating in 3-on-3 engage in, Udoka reported.
Although Udoka cautioned the crew nevertheless is not anticipating him recovering from his new knee surgery to return in time for this series.
