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The Boston Celtics reignited their postseason hopes on Friday night by grabbing a huge 125-119 win against the Brooklyn Nets. Brad Stevens' unit rallied behind home support and a 50-point outing from Jayson Tatum to claim their first victory of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. The series now reads 2-1 in Brooklyn's favor.
The Brooklyn Nets rushed off to a 19-4 lead in the early minutes of the game and it looked like another beating was on the cards for the Boston Celtics. That's when Jayson Tatum caught fire and ignited a comeback. The Cs took control of the game by the end of the first quarter and dominated the rest of the way.
Jayson Tatum's 50-point game fuels the Boston Celtics
Multiple players had huge performances in the game, but the occasion belonged to Jayson Tatum tonight. Tatum had managed just a combined 31 points on 9-of-32 shooting in the last two games, but he removed the ghosts of the past with his fourth 50-point outing of the season.
Jayson Tatum scored 19 points in the third quarter alone, extending the Boston Celtics' lead over the Brooklyn Nets to 17 at one point. He brought up 50 points with a dagger mid-range jumper over Kevin Durant in the final seconds of the game. He received the deserved plaudits for the same.
Tatum had plenty of help from his teammates tonight. Kemba Walker went just 3-of-14 from the floor, but Marcus Smart scored 23 on 72.7% shooting. Tristan Thompson played arguably his best game in a Boston Celtics uniform as he exploded for 19 points and 13 rebounds, including nine offensive boards.
James Harden and Kevin Durant combine for 80 but the Brooklyn Nets fall short
The Brooklyn Nets were downright mediocre on defense tonight, but that didn't impact their scoring firepower much. James Harden exploded for 41 points and 10 assists on 11-of-18 shooting, while Kevin Durant had 39 points too. The rest of the Brooklyn crew didn't turn up as the Boston Celtics walked away with a close win. Here are some reactions to the Brooklyn Nets' performance.
Kyrie Irving was under the scanner tonight because of his angsty relationship with Celtics fans. The crowd in attendance showed Kyrie some tough love as he failed to rise to the occasion. Irving managed just 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting.
The Boston Celtics have now gathered much-needed steam ahead of their next matchup against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. With public restrictions also getting lifted in Massachusetts, 17,000 fans are expected to be in attendance for Game 4 at TD Garden. So the Nets certainly have their task cut out.
Guess the Lakers players!
