The Celtics as soon as again obtained the style of main performances at both ends of the court docket from their star gamers that the Nets desperately required — but did not get — from Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Jayson Tatum netted a recreation-superior 39 points and Jaylen Brown included 23 as the Celtics moved in one acquire of sweeping the Nets with a 109-103 victory Saturday night at Barclays Centre. Tatum’s output exceeded the mixed overall for both Durant and Irving, who finished with 16 apiece.
“I’m not seeking to make it a just one-on-one particular thing [with Durant] or a matchup issue, just doing whatever I can to get a win,” Tatum said after the video game. “As prolonged as we won, which is all I care about.”
Tatum also has defended from Durant for a lot of the collection, and the the Celtics’ top-rated defense held the Nets celebrity to 31.7 p.c shooting in the 1st two games of the sequence in Boston and to just 11 discipline-objective makes an attempt (6-for-11) in Match 3.
“He’s been that all calendar year for us,” Boston coach Ime Udoka mentioned of Tatum, who finished with 6 steals. “We’ve talked about our staff as a collective unit remaining the variety 1 defensive workforce and that can take everybody to purchase in. He does not usually get the credit rating for that for the reason that of the scoring prowess.”
Requested if he believes the Celtics have flustered Durant, Brown mentioned: “I’m not nervous about what KD is wondering. I’m anxious about what we’re thinking. Our occupation is to make him guess a minimal bit, and to make it tricky. But Kevin Durant is Kevin Durant. He’s had a tough time and we want to preserve it that way. Because we know what he can do.”
The 2nd-seeded Celtics, who will get their to start with prospect to sweep the series on Monday in Recreation 4, welcomed back Robert Williams III for the initially time given that he suffered a torn meniscus on March 27 and underwent medical procedures a few days afterwards.
The shot-blocking Boston massive gentleman scored just two factors in 16 minutes off the bench, but those people arrived on an emphatic alley-oop dunk on a feed from Tatum in the second quarter.
Ben Simmons has specific Match 4 for his return from a back again personal injury — and his first overall look with the Nets because he was obtained from the 76ers in the blockbuster trade of James Harden in February. Williams’ return further bolstered a Boston defense that rated first in the NBA all through the common time.
The 6-foot-9 Williams finished fourth in the NBA with 2.2 blocked pictures per sport, whilst averaging approximately a double-double (10. details and 9.6 rebounds) in 29.6 minutes per sport over 61 commencing appearances. Soon immediately after moving into the game early in the second quarter, Williams also rejected an Andre Drummond generate to the rim.
“When you get out there, it will help you to not consider about it,” Williams mentioned of his knee. “Coming straight into a playoff activity, I just obtained a position to do to enable my group earn.”
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