Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets (32-33) traveled to TD Garden on Sunday to take on Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics (39-27) to begin the day’s NBA slate. It was the C’s who came out on top in this one, with 126-120 being the final score led by Tatum’s season-high 54 points.
With this matchup on the road, the Nets got their first look at Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the lineup together in quite some time. Brooklyn is looking to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference standings as they currently find themselves in the play-in due to their struggles while Durant was out with an MCL sprain.
There has been no team in the NBA hotter than the Celtics entering the NBA Sunday slate. Boston had managed to win eight of their last ten games in part of a more significant trend of success, with Jayson Tatum and elite defense being the key factors mainly in play.
At one point, an 11-0 run in the third quarter put the BrooklynNets up double-figures with around a minute and a half remaining. The Celtics turned things around significantly from that point on and outscored Brooklyn 37-30 to secure the victory. Tatum alone accounted for 18 points in the final period, with his co-star, Jaylen Brown, chipping in eight of his own.
LATEST NBA NEWS: Nets vs Celtics Sunday: Lineups, Injury Reports & Broadcast Info
Jaylen Brown returned to the Boston Celtics lineup and finished with 21 points overall. The rest of the starting group provided critical contributions on a night where the bench totaled 14 combined points. Robert Williams III made the most of his defensive versatility, and it showed in his five blocks and two steals, all while the whole starting five scored in double-figures to go along with.
Kevin Durant ended his night with 37 points, six rebounds, and eight assists, but finished with seven turnovers, too. Kyrie Irving struggled to find a rhythm in this one as he was limited to 19 points. Brooklyn somehow lost this game despite shooting 50-44-90 splits as a team. The 15 turnovers they recorded proved to be a key factor.
In the Celtics’ previous outing, Jayson Tatum scored a staggering 24 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter to lift Boston 120-107 against Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies. Dropping a 50-piece on the Nets was another message sent to the rest of the league, to say the least. He’s been on an incredible run and has been instrumental in the C’s winning 21 of their previous 27 games.
LATEST NBA NEWS: Nets vs Celtics Sunday: Lineups, Injury Reports & Broadcast Info
The Nets entered this game riding a 113-107 loss to the Miami Heat despite an admirable 31-point effort from Kevin Durant in his return. They are now below .500 due to this loss with mounting pressure to turn things around before it’s too late with losses continuing to pile up.
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