Brooklyn Nets get an A+ on their chemistry test, cruise to easy NBA playoff win over Celtics

Remember the storyline that the Brooklyn Nets might struggle in the postseason as the chemistry among their All-Star trio develops? Well, never mind.

The Nets defeated the short-handed Boston Celtics, 141-126, with Kevin Durant (42), Kyrie Irving (39) and James Harden (23) combining for 104 points. And Harden added a career playoff-high 18 assists as the Celtics took a 3-1 series lead over the Celtics.

With Durant, Irving and Harden playing just eight games together in the regular season, it might seem that the Nets would need some time to figure out how to best complement each other – even as they downplayed such talk.

Irving rebounded from a poor-shooting Game 3 loss by hitting 6 of his 12 3-pointers. After the game, a fan threw a water bottle at him as he left the court.

“Mental toughness? One of the best I’ve ever seen. For him, all the emotions or whatever is going through his mind, which I’m sure a million things go through his mind,” Harden said of Irving. “He goes out there, blocks everything out and just (is) himself and from a guy that probably would say he didn’t play his best game in Game 3, came in and had a killer instinct, killer mentality, and had a will to win Game 4. It showed. He was aggressive, and when Kai’s aggressive like that, nobody can guard him. That gives our team energy as well. Big-time effort from him, big-time effort from our team.”

It helps that they are playing a short-handed Celtics team missing Jaylen Brown (out for the playoffs, wrist surgery) and Kemba Walker (out for Game 4 with left knee bone bruise).

Durant is averaging 34.7 points, Harden is averaging 26.2 and Irving is at 24.7.

The 104 points scored by Durant, Irving and Harden tied an NBA playoff record for three teammates set by Boston's John Havlicek, Jo Jo White and Dave Cowens in 1973 and matched in 1986 by Dominique Wilkins, Randy Whitman and Spud Webb.

State of the series: Nets lead 3-1. Game 5 is Tuesday in Brooklyn (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)

Clippers 106, Mavericks 81

The Clippers claimed there was no reason to panic after they were swept in the first two games of this playoff series at home. It appears they were right. The Clippers are showing the kind of resilience expected of a title contender by overpowering the Mavericks from the start to even up their series. Kawhi Leonard led the way with 29 points on an efficient 11 of 15 shooting. And suddenly, the Clippers may have revived their title-contender status. At the very least, they regained home-court advantage. “We’re where we were supposed to be,” said Nicolas Batum. “We're supposed to be at 2-2, technically. So we're going to go home and have to take care of home court.” Mavericks star Luka Doncic, who had 19 points on 9 of 24 shooting, was certainly “in pain,” coach Rick Carlisle said, after he played through a strained neck for a second consecutive game.

State of the series: Series tied 2-2. Game 5 is Wednesday in Los Angeles (10 p.m. ET, TNT)

Hawks 113, Knicks 96

It’s easy to think of the Hawks as a solo act. Trae Young is clearly their leader, but their supporting cast isn’t bad, either. John Collins contributed 22 points and Danilo Gallinari added 20 to support Young’s 27 points to help the Hawks take a 3-1 series lead. The Hawks have a chance to advance out of the first round of the postseason for the first time since 2016. “We have so many guys who are skilled with the basketball,” Collins said. “We have great chemistry with each other. I think the sky's the limit with this team when we do the right things.”

State of the series: Hawks lead 3-1. Game 5 is Wednesday in New York (Time TBD)

Suns 100, Lakers 92

The Phoenix Suns got even Sunday. With stifling defense and balanced offense, coupled with Anthony Davis missing the second half with a groin injury and Chris Paul playing his best ball since injuring his right shoulder in Game 1. “The playoffs bring you to your limits in a lot of ways and that's how you grow,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “You're watching our young team grow on the fly.” With Davis out and Paul looking more like himself in posting a team-high 18 points, nine assists and zero turnovers in 32 minutes, Phoenix returns home with huge momentum for Tuesday's Game 5 at Phoenix Suns Arena.

--- Duane Rankin

State of the series: Series tied 2-2. Game 5 is Tuesday in Phoenix (10 p.m. ET TNT)

NBA PLAYOFF SCHEDULE: First-round matchups, results, game times and TV info

Wizards vs. Sixers

Joel Embiid has been the dominant force and is easily having the best postseason of his career. That is why the Sixers, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, have a chance to sweep their first playoff series since 1991 when they beat the Milwaukee Bucks 3-0. Embiid had a career playoff-high 36 points on 18 shots in Game 3. “I can’t imagine anybody playing better than him,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks. As a result, the Sixers definitely have a sweep on their mind. “We want to get the sweep so we can get some rest,” 76ers guard Ben Simmons said. “But this is a tough team. You never know what you are going to get every night, especially with [Bradley] Beal and [Russell] Westbrook. So we’ve got to come prepared on Monday.”

State of the series: Sixers lead 3-0. Game 4 is Monday in Washington (7 p.m. ET, TNT)

Jazz vs. Grizzlies

The last time the Grizzlies were in the postseason, Mike Conley was one of the main reasons they got there. In their first trip back since 2017, Conley might be one of the main reasons for their early exit. The former face of the Grit and Grind Grizzlies that made seven straight trips to the postseason, Conley is having the kind of success in Utah that he had in Memphis. And that is good news for the No. 1 Jazz. He has averaged 23 points against the Grizzlies, helping the Jazz to a 2-1 series lead. “Mike was terrific on both ends of the floor. He was Mike Conley,” Donovan Mitchell said after Game 3. “And he always has been for us all year, and he's taken it to an even another level. And I feel like when you have a guy like that who can handle the ball, who can control the game, as well, it makes my life and my job easier. So when I get certain shots, it's because he sees things, he's communicating that with me or he's putting me in positions to go ahead and score and make plays too. A lot of that too is Mike Conley being here. He's big time.”

State of the series: Jazz lead 2-1. Game 4 is Monday in Memphis (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT)

Blazers vs. Nuggets

If you study a box score of a Trail Blazers game and discover that Damian Lillard shoots 1 of 10 from the field, there wouldn’t be much expectation of a successful outcome for Portland. But Lillard had just 10 points in Game 3, and the Blazers defeated the Nuggets 115-95. Norman Powell, who won an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, picked up the slack. Powell led the Blazers with 29 points to help the Blazers even the series. If he continues to play well and Lillard rebounds, the Blazers could make make trouble for the Nuggets. “I love these types of games, these kinds of moments. It's the moment where nothing else matters,” Powell said. “You get caught up in the course of the season with stats sometimes, this-that-and-the-other, road trips, but when you get into the playoffs, the only thing that matters is winning.”

State of the series: Series tied 2-2. Game 5 is Tuesday in Denver (9 p.m. ET, NBATV)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brooklyn Nets' Big 3 had record-scoring night in cruising past Celtics