[Film Room] How the Celtics Held Kevin Durant to 23 Points, an Approach that Can't Change as the ROI Lessens

Holding Kevin Durant to 23 points was a better result than the Celtics could have anticipated, but even when he's producing more, they can't stray from the approach that limited him in Game 1.

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In Sunday's Game 1 win over the Nets, the Celtics defended Kevin Durant as well as possible. They were physical, consistently sent multiple defenders at him, cycled through coverages, and there were hardly any easy baskets.

In the play below, less than two minutes into the game, Durant comes off a pick from Bruce Brown; Al Horford is a shade below the screen, and he comes up to meet KD. Tatum fights over the top of the pick, and when Durant turns middle, Tatum's there to poke the ball out.

Preceding the clip below was physical individual and team defense against Durant away from the ball. When he drives, Jaylen Brown stunts, which widens his path to the rim, allowing Grant Williams to catch up. Williams bumps Durant with his body while keeping his arms out to avoid fouling, then pulls the chair out from under him, which gets the former MVP off balance, and Marcus Smart swoops in for the steal.

In the final minute of the first quarter, the four-time scoring champ comes off a Nic Claxton screen on the left-wing, and Horford's in a shallow drop so that Durant can't step into an open jumper. Williams does a good job fighting over the pick, and when Durant pulls up, three defenders crowd him, and two of them are in his air space. Williams contests without fouling, and Durant's shot misses off the back rim. 

He's plenty capable of making that, but when dealing with one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, the goal is to make them work hard for everything they get, a goal the Celtics accomplished on Sunday.

Even when it looked like Durant might get an easy bucket, Boston forced him to fight for it. Below, he beats Tatum off the dribble, and there's no defender by the rim. Seeing that, Smart does a great job getting to the restricted area and going straight up, adhering to the rule of verticality. Smart's presence, coupled with the legal contact, causes Durant to adjust how he attempts to finish this, and he releases the ball on his way down, badly missing the bunny.

After scoring only seven points in the first half, Durant got loose for 11 points in the third quarter. But he still had to deal with the Celtics sending multiple defenders at him. 

In the following clip, Tatum and Horford switch on the screen. The latter widens Durant's path to the rim. Smart helps off Kyrie Irving to stunt, making it even more difficult for KD to finish this play near the cup. Daniel Theis, fronting Andre Drummond, also deters Durant from shooting inside the paint, and he ends up taking a contested fadeaway over Horford as he's exiting the area.

With just over 30 seconds left in the third quarter, Durant tried to take Tatum off the dribble, but the latter maintained a bit of distance, not wanting the 12-time All-Star to stride to the rim. Derrick White's help from the near-side corner further dissuades him from doing so. And when Durant's pump fake doesn't create separation from Tatum, he's forced into a challenging fallaway jumper that Tatum blocks, something rarely seen on a shot from KD.

And on the Nets' final possession of the game, with Irving having already scored 18 points in the quarter, the Celtics were determined not to let him get another shot off.

Smart and Horford force him to give the ball up, and he throws it out to Durant. Initially, he wants to drive, but Tatum does an excellent job maintaining contact and then cutting him off. When he swipes at the ball, it prompts Durant to step backward, and he hoists a 28-foot fadeaway as the shot clock expires. The contest by Tatum makes it even harder, the shot's off the mark, and Horford grabs the rebound, setting the stage for Tatum's game-winning layup.

Durant finished the game with 23 points on 9/23 (37.5 percent) shooting. That included going 1/5 from beyond the arc and not scoring in the paint. He also committed a game-high six turnovers.

Afterward, Durant said: "I played fast and turned the ball over. I've just got to slow down and play my game, but they did a good job of making me see bodies."

Odds are, Durant will score more than 23 points next game, but as stated earlier, it's less about his shot-making and more about making him fight for anything he gets. The Celtics did so throughout Sunday's series opener and got rewarded for it. It's an approach they'll need to maintain, even when there's a smaller return on investment.

Further Reading

What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Nets in Series Opener

Ime Udoka: 'You can tell the group is ready to play'

While the Nets Anticipate Ben Simmons Playing in Round 1, Will Robert Williams Do the Same?

The Latest on When Ben Simmons Might Make His Nets Debut

Brad Stevens Emphatically Denies Interest in Lakers' Head-Coaching Job: 'I definitely would not leave the Celtics to go to the Lakers'

Ime Udoka Says He's "Happy with the Progress" Robert Williams is Making, But Reiterates it'll "probably be a full series without him"