2022 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Game 2: Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics
It's do-or-die time for the Brooklyn Nets, who could see their season come to a disappointing end on Monday if they don't manage to pull out a win. Down 0-3 in their first r0unnd series [1] with the Boston Celtics, The Nets just have not been able to find an answer to slowing down the visitors from Beantown.
The Celtics have played a strong defensive game against two of the NBA's best players in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and have forced Brooklyn to rely on their supporting cast to lead the charge for large stretches of the game. Both Irving and Durant were held to just 16 points in Game 3 and the latter took just 11 shots from the field in 46 minutes of work.
[Complete First Round Coverage of Celtics-Nets Series [2]]
Boston's defense has been one of the big stories of the series so far and continuous mistakes by Brooklyn have prevented them from holding onto leads in the first three games of the series. Of course, Durant's poor shooting has been the biggest story and surprise of all in a series that could be over sooner than anyone had predicted.
How to Watch:
Date: Monday, April 24
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
TV: TNT
Tale of the Tape:
Celtics
STAT
Nets
49-63
Record in Game 4s
13-15
112.7 (T-4th)
Points Per Game
108.0 (10th)
108.0 (7th)
Points Allowed Per Game
112.7 (T-12th)
26-15-1 on road
ATS Record Home/Away
9-33-1 at home
130-189 on the road in playoffs
Home/Away Record
41-39 at home in playoffs
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Brooklyn leaders:
[caption id="attachment_41205" align="alignnone" width="2560"] Brooklyn forward Bruce Brown (1) controls the ball during the third quarter of game two of the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.[/caption]
Kevin Durant, PF. – 22.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 5.3 AP, 89% FT
Kyrie Irving, PG. – 21.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 5.3 APG, 2.3 SPG
Bruce Brown, F. – 18.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.0 APG, 58.8% FG, 50% 3pt
Boston leaders:
[caption id="attachment_41206" align="alignnone" width="2560"] Brooklyn guard Patty Mills (8) forces a tie up against Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) in the second quarter at Barclays Center.Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports[/caption]
Jayson Tatum, F-G. – 29.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 8.0 APG, 42.9% FG
Jaylen Brown, G-F. – 22.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.7 APG, 3.0 SPG, 50.9% FG
Marcus Smart, G. – 15.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 5.7 APG, 41.5% FG
Odds, Lines, and More:
Spread: Nets -1
Brooklyn Moneyline: -120
Boston Moneyline: +100
O/U: 220
The Pick:
It's hard to pick against the Boston Celtics at this point in the series. They have shut down Durant and Kyrie Irving and have found ways to frustrate the Nets time and time again. Even when Brooklyn has managed to contain Boston's star players, the Celtics' depth has proven too much for the Nets to take advantage of. While the Nets have gotten good performances out of Bruce Brown, Nic Claxton and Seth Curry, as well as other role players, it comes down to Durant and Irving leading them to victory. Right now there just doesn't seem to be an answer for how Brooklyn can stop Boston. The Celtics will put a cap on the series in Game 4.
[1] https://www.nba.com/playoffs/2022/east-first-round-2
[2] https://thebrooklyngame.com/nets/nets-playoffs/first-round/
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