The Brooklyn Nets hosted the Boston Celtics as their first-round series swung to Barclays Center on Saturday night. Brooklyn hoped to avoid the historically insurmountable 3-0 series deficit. Boston looked to put the Nets on the brink of elimination with a victory. The Nets were unable to secure stops down the stretch of the fourth quarter, falling 109-103 to dig themselves the dreaded 3-0 hole.
Bruce Brown led the Nets with 26 points on 10-for-19 shooting. He also pulled down 8 rebounds, but committed 5 turnovers.
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving combined for 32 points on 12-for-28 shooting and 17 assists.
Here are 3 observations from a loss that sends the Nets to the brink of elimination.
A duel between Jayson Tatum and…Bruce Brown?
You knew you were getting an early shootout to set the tone in the game. You just didn’t expect it to be Jayson Tatum and….Bruce Brown. Tatum opened the game with 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting. Brown, meanwhile, led the Nets with 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting going into the second quarter.
Tatum is obviously a high-usage star who is going to self-provision his scores often and, to a less common extent, shoot off ball swings from teammates.
Brown’s output, however, is a bit more difficult to digest. But with Kevin Durant being absolutely smothered on every touch and dribble penetration leading to kick-outs being a significant focal point of Brooklyn’s offense, it makes sense that Brown would get some catch-and-shoot looks from deep. He’s also a great weapon for ball-handlers looking to beat pressure. He flashes to gaps in the floor to relieve the trap, pivots to the basket, and makes his move. On Saturday, the move was being aggressive for scores.
And when none of that is happening, Brown is there to create chaos for live-ball turnovers. In the scramble, he runs a route to the rim looking for a touchdown in transition.
Where was Kevin Durant?
It’s been…