Inside The Celtics

What Stood Out from Game 3's Win vs. the Nets: Tatum and Brown Lead the Way While Celtics' Defense Shines as they Push Brooklyn to the Brink

For all the talk about whether the Celtics made a mistake not avoiding a first-round matchup with the Nets, they now have a chance to sweep them Monday.

Bobby Krivitsky

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 62 points, the Celtics held Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to 16 points each, and Boston again outplayed the Nets in the final frame to move within a win of advancing to the second round.

Now, for a deep dive on another impressive two-way showing by the Celtics, who absorbed the Nets' initial punch and maintained control of the game afterward.

Celtics Start Slow, But Figure Out Nets' Zone Defense

The Nets jumped out to a 6-2 lead. Two of those baskets came from Bruce Brown jumping a passing lane to get a steal and an uncontested fast-break layup, then cleaning up a Seth Curry missed three. That putback started an 8-0 Brooklyn run that put the home team ahead 12-2 just over four minutes into the game.

The Nets threw a zone defense at the Celtics that initially gave them some problems, hence the slow start offensively. But they acclimated, moving the ball better to get in a rhythm, and Jayson Tatum buried a corner three over Kevin Durant to help get his team going.

The three-time All-Star then earned two points at the free-throw line and three more from beyond the arc to give Boston a 13-12 lead, its first advantage of the game.

When the Nets incorporated their bench into the game, going smaller, the Celtics continued to have success attacking their zone, finishing the first frame with 12 points in the paint. They also did a good job converting stops into baskets, including seven that came on fast-break opportunities.

And with 2:53 left in the frame, Robert Williams checked in for the first time. Williams was moving well and looked like his usual self.

Tatum finished the period with a game high 12 points, including attacking Nic Claxton off the dribble to score in the paint, knocking down a pair of threes, and burying this fadeaway over Brown after getting by Claxton.

Boston shot 11/20 (55 percent) in the first quarter, taking a 30-25 advantage into the second.

Celtics Build Double-Digit Lead, Turnovers Result in Them Being Up Three at Halftime

The start of the second quarter belonged to Payton Pritchard. First, he hit a floater after attacking as the shot clock ticked down. And after Andre Drummond bizarrely volleyballed a pass to Curry in the corner when Goran Dragic came off a Drummond screen and tried to get his big man the ball as he rolled to the rim, Tatum threw it to Pritchard, who dished to Grant Williams. Williams couldn't field it cleanly, but Pritchard scooped it up and laid it in, giving Boston a 34-25 lead.

Then, Pritchard buried a cold step-back three over Bruce Brown, giving him ten points on 4/4 shooting in seven minutes.

The second quarter also featured some vintage Robert Williams moments as he swatted an Andre Drummond shot at the rim, then finished off an alley-oop from Tatum a couple minutes later.

But the Celtics had difficulty containing Bruce Brown, who, after scoring a playoff career-high 23 points in Game 2, produced a team-best 16 in the first half. The Nets also got a boost from Claxton, who provided them a needed jolt of energy, contributing ten points and four rebounds off the bench.

As for Brooklyn's two stars, Kyrie Irving entered halftime with ten points on 4/11 shooting, went 0/5 from three, committed two turnovers, and picked up three fouls.

As for Durant, the Celtics continued playing him physically, helping off Brooklyn's non-shooting threats to limit his options when he got the ball. That led to a frustrated Durant scoring only seven points on 3/5 shooting, failing to make an impact.

However, turnovers, like when Jaylen Brown's errant pass was too high for Tatum, eventually leading to a Patty Mills three following a side out after Brown fouled Durant in transition, prevented Boston from extending or holding onto its 12-point lead. The Celtics committed seven turnovers, translating to 13 points for the Nets.

But Boston ended the first half on a positive with Marcus Smart laying the ball in with 11.4 seconds left, giving the Celtics a 53-50 lead at the break.

Tatum didn't score in the second quarter, but Boston's defense kept it in the driver's seat. And with Pritchard producing ten points and Brown and Smart each scoring eight, the Celtics generating 14 points in the paint in the second period, and shooting 53.8 percent from the field, there were a lot of positives for the visitors in the opening half.

They were only 7/21 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc, but more than anything, they needed to take better care of the ball in the final two quarters.

Celtics and Nets Trade Blows in the Third Frame

The Celtics were the sharper team coming out of the break, going on a 9-0 run to open the third quarter, including five points from Daniel Theis.

The Nets then cut Boston's lead to two, 60-58, countering with an 8-0 run, featuring an Irving layup and Durant cashing in on a pull-up jumper from 18-feet out. But after Tatum and Brown scored the game's next four points at the free-throw line, Tatum buried a pull-up jumper to give him 18 points and put the Celtics ahead 66-58 with 7:14 left in the quarter.

Durant responded with a three, finally reaching double figures at the 7:01 mark. But Tatum stayed hot, draining a three with 5:49 to play, giving him 21 points and putting Boston ahead by nine, 71-62.

But a few minutes later, after a Tatum turnover, the Celtics failed to keep Bruce Brown off the boards. Then came a missed three from Smart, leading to a Claxton dunk at the other end. On Boston's next possession, Tatum got whistled for an offensive foul and Mills knocked down a three to make it a 75-72 game with 1:15 left.

But the Celtics delivered the last counterpunch of the quarter, as Smart cleaned up a missed three by Brown. Then, after a careless pass by Bruce Brown, Smart stepped into a jumper from just inside the arc. Jaylen Brown closed out the quarter by stealing a Blake Griffin pass, tiptoeing the sideline, and throwing down a dunk at the other end. That gave Boston an 81-72 lead entering the final frame.

Even while Faltering Late, Celtics Outplay Nets in Final Frame

With just over 8:30 to play and the Celtics ahead by five, Jaylen Brown hit a step-back three over Griffin to put the Celtics up by eight.

But Griffin countered, connecting on a triple from the corner to keep Brooklyn within five.

Brown extended the back-and-forth, taking Griffin off the bounce for a tough layup that he got to go down. Griffin had another three in him, but Boston countered with Brown attacking him to get into the paint, drawing help, then kicking the ball to Tatum for an open three he connected on from the corner. Griffin got another clean look at a three, but he missed, and Brown buried a step-back two over Mills to give the Celtics a 93-84 lead with 6:29 left.

Following a Brooklyn timeout, Grant Williams, guarding the inbounder, Bruce Brown, stole the pass and got it ahead to Tatum, who laid in through contact and made the ensuing free throw, giving Boston a 96-84 advantage with 6:25 remaining.

With 4:20 to play, Horford converted on his first field goal of the game, a corner three that came from Tatum catching the ball in the middle of the free-throw line, driving by Mills, and kicking the ball out to the team's elder statesman. That put Boston up 99-88.

Tatum followed that up with a strong take to the basket, capitalizing on a mismatch against Mills and Smart sealing off Durant to prevent him from denying Tatum a layup that gave the Celtics a 13-point advantage, their largest lead of the game.

Brooklyn found its rhythm from beyond the arc a couple minutes later, going on an 11-2 run, trying to stage a late rally that included back-to-back threes from Mills, but when Bruce Brown went 1/2 at the line, and Tatum knocked down both of his free throws, Boston went ahead 107-100 with 17.2 seconds on the clock. Tatum then intercepted a pass from Durant and cruised in for a game-clinching dunk.

Curry hit a three as the final seconds expired, but it was purely cosmetic. The Celtics' 109-103 win puts them on the verge of sweeping the Nets.

Tatum finished with a game-high 39 points. He went 13/29 from the field, including 4/13 from beyond the arc, but he generated nine points on ten free throws. Brooklyn's consistently loading up on him to make Boston's other options beat them, but the three-time All-Star continues making them pay. First, as a facilitator, dishing out six assists, tying Smart for a team-high, then attacking mismatches to get himself going again. Tatum also swiped six steals, more than anyone else on either team. He also grabbed five rebounds.

Brown ended the night with 23 points, nine of which came in the fourth quarter, five assists, four rebounds, and two steals.

As a team, the Celtics shot 50% from the field, assisted on 26 of 42 field goals, and scored 50 points in the paint. As effective as they were on offense, they shined even brighter defensively. Boston limited Durant and Irving to 16 points each. The former only took 11 shots, committed five turnovers, and never looked engaged in the action. The latter went 6/17 from the field, including 0/7 from beyond the arc.

The Celtics also came up with 13 steals, converted 21 turnovers into 37 points, and scored 25 on the fast break.

When it comes to what the Celtics need to do to get a sweep, Ime Udoka said: "Do what we did the last three games. They're going to give you their best punch early...More of the same for us; get off to a better start and try to get it over with."

Up Next

Game 4 between the Celtics and Nets is Monday night. Tip-off is at 7:00 ET. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

Further Reading

Sacramento Kings Reportedly Interviewing Will Hardy for Head-Coaching Vacancy

Ben Simmons Expected to Make Season Debut in Game 4, a Return that May Benefit the Celtics More than the Nets

What Stood Out from the Celtics' Win vs. Nets in Game 2: Boston Recaptures Offensive Identity, Rallies for 2-0 Series Lead

Celtics React to Marcus Smart Winning Defensive Player of the Year: 'Marcus just submitted his name as one of the defensive greats'

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

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

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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