The Boston Celtics are now one win away from the semi-finals as they defeated Brooklyn Nets in Game 3 of their first-round best of seven series in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, 109-103.
Led by Jayson Tatum's led the Celtics with a dominating performance of 39 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and a Playoff career-high of 6 steals.
With his superb game, the 24-year-old forward receives chants of "MVP!" from Celtics fans in Brooklyn. Jaylen Brown led the team with 23 points.
On Saturday night, the Barclays Center audience was dismayed as the preseason title favorites Nets were on the verge of being swept and facing an embarrassing first-round elimination, per the New York Post.
Brooklyn's defense held up against Boston until the Celtics went on the hunt for a mismatch for their best player.
☘️ 39 points for @jaytatum0
— NBA (@NBA) April 24, 2022
☘️ 6 steals (playoff-career high)
☘️ 3-0 lead for the @celtics#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/vwW9tN7mZ3
Bruce Brown led the Nets with 26 points, while superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving (16 points each) fell short.
Terrific Defense by the Celtics Hold Back Durant
Durant was held in check by Boston's intense defense. He got limited to under 40% shooting with six turnovers for the first time in his career. In Game 3, Nets coach Steve Nash kept him off the ball and made him dribble less instead of using him as a screener.
Nash experimented with a variety of adjustments in an attempt to shift the series' direction. Early on, the Nets used a lot of zones and even brought in Blake Griffin late in the game, per Nets Daily.
With 1:27 left in the third quarter and the Nets down 75-69, Nash gave Griffin his first minutes since April 2. He scored eight points and provided a spark for the Nets, but it wasn't quite enough.
Brown scored seven baskets in a row to put the Nets up 12-5 early. But it was short-lived. They gave up an 18-5 run, which included seven unanswered Boston baskets, and they couldn't establish a credible threat to even get back in the game after that.
The Nets let up a 7-0 run after going up 20-19 with 4:26 left in the first quarter on Durant's low fadeaway. The Boston Celtics were down by six points after Derrick White's layup.
Payton Pritchard made a step-back 3-pointer to cut the margin to 12 points, scoring 37-25. The Nets did get within 51-50 on Patty Mills' kick-out 3-pointer just before the half, but no closer.
After an 11-5 surge by the Nets, the score was 53-50 at halftime. However, a 7-0 run was spurred by three quick turnovers in a row, two by Brown and one by Seth Curry.
The Nets were down 60-50 with 10:35 left in the third when Tatum found Daniel Theis for a 3-pointer. For the rest of the game, they never challenged seriously.
What's Next for the Nets?
Many of the Brooklyn Nets players have been inconsistent throughout the season, which has been one of the team's main issues. After James Harden left the team and Kyrie Irving was able to play at home again, they've recently established a better balance.
In the history of the NBA, no team has ever come back from being down 3-0 in a series per Marca. And nothing the Nets have done in their first three games has given them any reason to believe they can be the first.
Hopefully, it is not too late for the star-studded Nets to make a final push for a championship before it disintegrates ultimately. If they fail again this season, it will be another disappointing ending for this superteam.
