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The Brooklyn Nets eliminated the Boston Celtics from the NBA Playoffs with a 123-109 victory at Barclays Center in Game 5 of their first-round series. The Nets won the best-of-seven series 4-1 and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals to face the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Boston Celtics entered Tuesday’s game with their hopes of returning to the conference finals shattered by injuries to some of their top players. Nevertheless, the Celtics didn’t show any signs of being demoralized despite being down 3-1 before tipoff.
The halftime score of 59-51 with the Brooklyn Nets on top was indicative of how relatively close this game was prior to the last few minutes of the fourth quarter.
Here are the 5 talking points from Game 5 of the first-round NBA Playoffs series between the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets:
#1 James Harden shows off mastery of the game
James Harden had his hands all over the Brooklyn Nets’ Game 5 victory. He had a +22 plus/minus rating which was second-best on the team. The 2018 MVP got to the line early and often and knocked down 10-of-11 free throws.
Time and time again, Harden would make a three or an and-one to keep the feisty Boston Celtics at bay. Early in the fourth quarter, an offensive foul call on the Brooklyn Nets guard was overturned and his basket was counted. The 3-point play extended their lead to 13. More importantly, the overturned call kept him from getting his fifth foul.
He had a triple-double with 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, his fourth career triple-double.
#2 Jayson Tatum struggles with foot and knee issues
Carrying the load by himself without his All-Star buddies Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum looked banged up from the first half to the final buzzer. He had his foot and knee checked out on the sidelines by team doctors before halftime. The injuries were primarily responsible for him shooting just 4-of-13 in the first half and 12-of-27 overall.
The 23-year-old Boston Celtics star was not as active as he would normally be on both ends of the court, but the effort was there. Tatum still had 32 points to go along with nine rebounds and five assists.
#3 Brooklyn Nets’ Big 3 take charge
It was the usual offensive outing for the Brooklyn Nets’ Big 3 of Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, but it was the way they would take turns in stopping every Boston Celtics rally that was notable for Game 5.
Whether it was with a bucket to extend their lead to 14 after the Boston Celtics cut their lead to eight in the fourth quarter or a pass to a wide-open Nicolas Claxton, the Big 3 was as good as advertised. Durant was on point defensively as well, swatting away three enemy missiles at the other end.
At one point in the fourth quarter, the Big 3 took turns making a three from the exact same spot on the floor. That’s how in sync they were in this game.
#4 Boston Celtics don’t give up
No one would have blamed the Boston Celtics if they had just laid down and surrendered to a superpower like the Brooklyn Nets. Down two stars and a key player, Gang Green didn’t give up until the final five minutes when the Nets just overpowered them in the end.
Down 14 points in the third, they cut the Brooklyn Nets lead down to seven. They traded baskets early in the fourth quarter before Irving, Harden and Durant took charge.
Unlike in Game 4, the rest of the Boston Celtics showed up, as Romeo Langford, Marcus Smart, Evan Fournier and Jabari Parker helped out in the scoring department with a combined 62 points.
#5 Nicolas Claxton’s energy
Quietly doing his work off the bench, Nicolas Claxton’s activity gave the Brooklyn Nets a constant presence in the paint both offensively and defensively. Claxton was the recipient of a couple of assists by his teammates as he found a way to beat his man on several occasions.
Though the box score shows that he only had a block on his ledger, it doesn’t reflect how many Boston Celtics players had to change their shots upon seeing the Brooklyn Nets' 6-foot-11 forward.
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