Kevin Durant: ‘It’s on me to just finish it and figure it out’
Durant went 0-for-10 from the field in the second half, the most field goal attempts without a make in any half of his career, according to research from ESPN Stats & Information. After finishing 4-of-17 on Wednesday, Durant is a combined 13-for-40 from the field in the series. “It’s on me to just finish it and figure it out,” he said. “I’m not expecting my teammates or the defense to give me anything. I just got to go out there and play.”
Source: Nick Friedell @ ESPN
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
Yaron Weitzman @YaronWeitzman
For years now we’ve said there’s no defense for Kevin Durant. The Celtics are proving that to be false.
For @FOXSports / @FOX Sports News, I
wrote about how they’re slowing down one of the greatest scorers of all time and in doing so exposing the Nets:
foxsports.com/stories/nba/ce… – 1:39 AM
Ric Bucher @RicBucher
Kevin Durant speaks on Celtics fans hostility towards Nets’ Kyrie Irving… youtu.be/WV96ZB5mWyo via @YouTube – 12:47 AM
Rob Perez @WorldWideWob
Radio Roulette is LIVE @UnderdogFantasy
• Embiidzilla
• Celts holding bail on Kyrie & KD
• Caruso & DeRozan unbelievable in upset W
• Devin Booker injury
• Luka situation
• Self-Driving Cars
• My favorite 90s POGS
Here all night, come hang! ⬇️
youtube.com/watch?v=ky0NP0… – 12:30 AM
Dave Early @DavidEarly
“Ime [Udoka] knows us really well, he coached on our staff last year, I think he has some keys in the treasure chest that he’s telling those guys.”
-Kyrie Irving, has high praise for Celtics coach Ime Udoka. (Durant did too). pic.twitter.com/9LwFHHdWCF – 11:30 PM
Rob Perez @WorldWideWob
Kevin Durant & Kyrie Irving’s shot chart (2H): pic.twitter.com/CSeSMNL7YY – 11:29 PM
Dave Early @DavidEarly
Reporter: Do you feel like you need to go for like 30, 40 for this team to have a chance?
Durant: “some nights I have to…. they’re doing a good job of trying to cut off my scoring, trying to limit my shot making, 2 or 3 people contests… they’re doing a good job.” pic.twitter.com/NcMc3Q7eCV – 11:24 PM
Dave Early @DavidEarly
Durant talks about former Nets Assistant Ime Udoka has done a good job simplifying the defensive actions for Celtics. pic.twitter.com/jDqUddx6rx – 11:16 PM
Barbara Barker @meanbarb
Tatum on blocking Kevin Durant: “Maybe I’m getting lucky with a couple of those blocks. He’s one of the most gifted scorers that we’ve seen. It just can’t be easy. As tall as he is, he can get his shot off. We try to make it tough for him.” – 10:58 PM
Jay King @ByJayKing
Jayson Tatum was asked about blocking Durant’s jump shots a couple of times over the first two games: “I don’t know. Maybe I’m getting lucky with a couple of those blocks.” – 10:58 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Jayson Tatum on blocking Kevin Durant’s jumper: “I don’t know. Maybe I’m getting lucky on those blocks.” – 10:58 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Jayson Tatum on defending Kevin Durant: “You want to make him feel you. Show him a crowd. You know he’s gonna make shots, but you don’t want them to be easy. We’re just trying to do our best.” – 10:57 PM
StatMuse @statmuse
In the second half (and OT) tonight
Durant: 0-10 FG
Siakam: 0-5 FG, 0 PTS pic.twitter.com/xlAVhjW8So – 10:49 PM
Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
Durant: “They’re doing a good job. It’s on me to figure it out.” #Celtics #Nets – 10:48 PM
Jeff Goodman @GoodmanHoops
KD: They’re doing a good job. It’s on me yo figure it out.” – 10:48 PM
Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
Kevin Durant says,
“It’s on me to just finish it — The name of our game is just play extremely hard.” – 10:47 PM
Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
“They played their game tonight.”
⁃Kevin Durant on the Celtics – 10:46 PM
Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
“Just keep grinding. I’m going to turn the ball over. I’m going to shoot the ball a lot — Just keep playing.”
⁃Kevin Durant on what comes next for him – 10:45 PM
Brian Lewis @NYPost_Lewis
Kevin Durant: “They’re playing me with 2, 3 guys sometimes when I’m off the ball, mucking up actions when I run off stuff. I see Horford leaving this man and come over to hit me sometime. They’re just playing two or three guys hitting me wherever I go.” #nets #celtics – 10:45 PM
Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
“We just got to finish it.”
⁃Kevin Durant on what the Nets have to do moving forward – 10:44 PM
Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
Kevin Durant says,
“Two or three guys hit me wherever I go — I got to be more patient, but also play fast sometimes too.” – 10:44 PM
Jeff Goodman @GoodmanHoops
KD on Celtics defense: “They are playing 2-3 guys hitting me wherever I go. That’s just the nature of the beast in the playoffs.” – 10:43 PM
Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
Durant: “Two or three guys are hitting me wherever I go. That’s just the nature of the playoffs. I’ve got to be more patient.” #Celtics #Nets – 10:43 PM
Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
1-for-17: Celtics stifle Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in second half of Game 2 win over Nets nba.nbcsports.com/2022/04/20/1-f… – 10:39 PM
J. Michael Falgoust @ThisIsJMichael
Nothing has changed about KD being the best scorer in the game. But it’s 5 v 5 not 1 v 1. Even someone as great as he is can’t beat 1 v 5 odds – 10:38 PM
Chris Vernon @ChrisVernonShow
Once upon a time I saw a team rough up Durant and make him look rattled and all out of sorts. The OKC paper decided to act like it was the NY Post. He went nuclear after headline. Wonder if there will even be a headline now. pic.twitter.com/x4ddXl8gIa – 10:32 PM
NBA Kicks @NBAKicks
👀 @Derrick Jones Jr. broke out the GALAXY Nike KD 4! #NBAKicks pic.twitter.com/U43ovW13SE – 10:31 PM
Salman Ali @SalmanAliNBA
Sean Marks did the best he could with the hand he was dealt.
I’m just saying…
The way this thing was framed was Harden flaked on his team again and chose Morey over KD & Kyrie.
When in actuality, he left a flakey point guard and KD chose that flakey point guard over Harden. – 10:25 PM
Michael C. Wright @mikecwright
It’s the first time in 55 games as teammates (reg. and postseason) that KD & Kyrie both shot worse than 33% on FGs. (Durant: 24%, Irving 31%). – 10:22 PM
Mark Murphy @Murf56
Durant, who didn’t score in the fourth until 1:53 was left, is 13-31 over the first two games of this series. – 10:22 PM
Brian Lewis @NYPost_Lewis
Ime Udoka on KD: “We do want into their air space. I think we did that….We want to make him work defensively and offensively have bodies on him the whole time, try to wear him down. It takes the effort of everyone getting on him and knowing the game plan.” #Nets #Celtics – 10:16 PM
Jay King @ByJayKing
Derrick White only played 13 minutes. Payton Pritchard cut into Marcus Smart’s second-half minutes. Ime Udoka spread the court, pulled Durant-Claxton into the corners, and let his best-shooting guards/wings cook Brooklyn’s lesser defenders. Great adjustment by Udoka. – 10:15 PM
Brian Lewis @NYPost_Lewis
Kevin Durant struggles again as #Nets fall into 2-0 hole vs. #Celtics nypost.com/2022/04/20/kev… via @nypostsports – 10:11 PM
StatMuse @statmuse
Made field goals this series:
14 — Al Horford
13 — Kevin Durant pic.twitter.com/EyKj345Eug – 10:11 PM
Brian Lewis @NYPost_Lewis
Nash on what the #Celtics are doing to slow Kevin Durant, who shot 4-of-17: “They’re being physical. They’re up and into him, grabbing him, holding him, all that stuff you come to expect. He’s been uncomfortable and hasn’t looked like he’s been able to get his rhythm.” #Nets – 10:10 PM
J. Michael Falgoust @ThisIsJMichael
I wonder what all the 🤡 who talked about Kerr and Steph, who’d already won a chip w/o KD, will keep that same disrespectful energy. You can’t blitz KD like this flamethrowers spotting up for 3 and that superb spacing. Tail wasn’t wagging that dog. Y’all had it wrong 😎 – 10:08 PM
Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
The #Nets made 11 shots in the second half. Irving and Durant combined for 1. Durant was 0-for-10 in the second half.
#Celtics – 10:07 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Ime Udoka on the Celtics defense on Kevin Durant: “With the physicality we’ve playing him with, we’re going to give up some fouls. Now, 20 free throws is too much, but we’re playing him really physically. That’s how we want to defend him.” – 10:04 PM
Michael Lee @MrMichaelLee
Still dumbfounded by KD’s second half performance. – 10:03 PM
Dave Early @DavidEarly
“I think they’re being physical. They’re upping into him, grabbing him, holding him, all that stuff you come to expect.”
Steve Nash on how the Celtics have slowed down Kevin Durant pic.twitter.com/9qEJUMstjN – 10:02 PM
Ben Rohrbach @brohrbach
Kevin Durant: [exists]
Jayson Tatum: pic.twitter.com/G5326iCVJO – 10:01 PM
Dave Early @DavidEarly
I think they’re just packing in, near the nail.
-Bruce Brown talks about how the Celtics have slowed down KD and Kyrie. Says Nets supporting cast must be better. – 10:00 PM
Wes Goldberg @wcgoldberg
The Nets can beat anyone when KD and Kyrie are both awesome, but it’s hard to see them both being awesome in four of seven games against a defense like Boston’s. – 9:57 PM
Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
“That’s not the only way. There’s plenty of ways — It’s a team effort.”
⁃Steve Nash on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving needing a superstar performance to win – 9:55 PM
The Ringer @ringernba
Kevin Durant against the Celtics so far: 13/41 FGs (31.7%) with 12 TOs 😬
pic.twitter.com/qS8uH2MBdh – 9:54 PM
Dave Early @DavidEarly
Steve Nash points to the celtics physicality, “grabbing him, holding him,” he thinks is which made Kevin Durant uncomfortable. – 9:54 PM
Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
“They’re being physical — Grabbing him. Holding him. All that stuff … It’s been uncomfortable.”
⁃Steve Nash on how the Celtics are making Kevin Durant struggle – 9:54 PM
Anthony Puccio @APOOCH
Celtics defense has been incredible incredible. Ime coaching circles around Nash.
Never seen KD & Kyrie play so poorly. First time I can say Nets’ supporting cast did everything they could to win this game.
And… Boston hasn’t lost 4 out of 6 games since early January. – 9:54 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
I’ve never seen a guy get to KD’s shot the way Tatum has in this series. – 9:54 PM
Sean Grande @SeanGrandePBP
The Nets scored 65 points in the first half on 60% shooting.
They scored 17 in the 4th quarter on 4 of 14.
Durant/Irving: 8 of 30 shooting.
Celtics were 2-10 this year when trailing by 17+.
“Were” being the key word there. – 9:52 PM
Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
Fourth quarter shooting numbers:
Payton Pritchard:
4 made FG’s on 5 attempts
KD and Kyrie COMBINED:
1 made FG on 9 attempts – 9:50 PM
Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Nets in second half of Game 2 at Boston
Kyrie Irving: 1/7 FGs
Kevin Durant: 0/10 FGs – 9:50 PM
Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Celtics just held Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to 8/30 from the floor with 6 assists & 8 turnovers. Irving was the only layer between them to hit a field goal in the second half. Durant went 18/20 from the line and at least figured out how he wants to attack, but 8/30 is insane. – 9:50 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Celtics win 114-107. Lead series 2-0.
Brown – 22/4/6
Tatum – 19/6/10
Grant – 17 points
Horford – 16 points
Theis – 15 points
Smart – 12 points
Pritchard – 10 points
Celtics – 52% FGs
Durant – 27 points
Brown – 23 points
Dragic – 18 points
Curry – 16 points
Nets – 46.1% FGs – 9:49 PM
Bobby Marks @BobbyMarks42
What a masterclass in D by the Celtics in the 4Q
Made it awfully uncomfortable for Durant/Irving – 9:49 PM
StatMuse @statmuse
Kevin Durant this series:
13-41 FG (32%)
2-7 3P
8 AST
12 TOV
He is -23, the lowest on the Nets. pic.twitter.com/UMsdHSwE8u – 9:48 PM
Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
#Celtics with another thrilling win, this one 114-107 after trailing by 17. Lead series 2-0. Brown 22, Tatum 19, GWilliams 17, Horford 16, Theis 15, Smart 12, Pritchard 10; Durant 27 (4-17 FG, 18-20 FTs), Brown 23, Dragic 18, Curry 16, Irving 10 (4-13 FG). – 9:48 PM
Tom Haberstroh @tomhaberstroh
KD 0-10 FG in 2nd half.
First time in KD’s career he’s taken at least 10 field goal attempts in the second half and made zero of them. https://t.co/JGZlBMbhXd pic.twitter.com/T2c0bBubND – 9:48 PM
Barbara Barker @meanbarb
Kyrie and KD disappeared. 8 for 3- from field. Nets down 0-2 and looked like they didn’t have a plan or direction in the fourth quarter. – 9:48 PM
Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
Final: Celtics beat the Nets 114-107 to take a 2-0 series lead. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving combine to shoot 8-for-30 in the loss. Ime Udoka has cleaned his former team’s clock so far this series. Game 3 is Saturday in Brooklyn. I will be back for it. – 9:47 PM
Zach Kram @zachkram
Durant through two games against this Celtics defense:
13 made shots
12 turnovers
32% shooting
(plus 22-25 on free throws, to be fair) – 9:47 PM
StatMuse @statmuse
Points in the 4Q
8 — Payton Pritchard
6 — Kevin Durant
2 — Kyrie Irving pic.twitter.com/aDlP6PjWgv – 9:47 PM
Ryan McDonough @McDNBA
Kyrie and KD are definitely the most skilled duo ever on a 44-38 seventh seed trailing a 1st round series 0-2 – 9:47 PM
Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
Most minutes per game over the final five weeks of the season:
Kevin Durant: 38.6 mins per game – 9:47 PM
StatMuse @statmuse
KD might have played the worst playoff game of his career.
4-17 shooting
5 fouls
6 turnovers pic.twitter.com/PQlLewH1mt – 9:46 PM
Nick Friedell @NickFriedell
The Nets aren’t beating anybody when KD and Kyrie play like this. They finish 8-for-30 from the field.
The whole team looks shell-shocked. They had no answers down the stretch. – 9:46 PM
Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
FINAL: Nets 107, Celtics 114
Kevin Durant (27 PTS, 4-17 FG), Kyrie Irving (10 PTS, 4-13 FG) & the Nets go down 2-0 in the series. Brooklyn had a lead going into the fourth, but didn’t even notch double-digits in scoring for the final period until the 1:34 mark. – 9:46 PM
Jeff Goodman @GoodmanHoops
The Boston Celtics will head to Brooklyn with a 2-0 lead over the Nets.
And for all those expecting KD to have a bounce-back game, it never happened because the Celtics defense was tremendous on both he and Kyrie tonight. – 9:46 PM
Rob Perez @WorldWideWob
Payton Pritchard now finishing over Kevin Durant at the rim this has evolved into an NBA Twitter fever dream. – 9:45 PM
Chris Herring @Herring_NBA
Watching the Cs guard KD, and all I keep hearing is “guess who’s going to jail tonight?” line from that Kanye song. Have had the man locked up in a way we almost never see. Extremely impressive. – 9:45 PM
Tom Westerholm @Tom_NBA
I expect Steve Nash will complain about the Celtics defending Durant aggressively, but the man does have 20 free-throw attempts tonight. – 9:45 PM
Stefan Bondy @SBondyNYDN
Two thoughts:
Kevin Durant is a step slow and Steve Nash has been out-coached by his former assistant.
Result: Celtics 2, Nets 0 – 9:44 PM
Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria
Still a long way to go in both series but right now it looks like playoff wins for 2022:
Harden/Embiid – 2 (at home)
KD/Kyrie – 0 (on road) pic.twitter.com/7V7Atkb43z – 9:44 PM
Matthew Tynan @Matthew_Tynan
Celtics just playing murder-ball in the second half. Wore out KD and Kyrie to the point where even their good looks down the stretch had no juice. What a performance. – 9:41 PM
Jeff Goodman @GoodmanHoops
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are a combined 8-for-30 from the field, and the duo has only taken 3 shots from beyond the arc. – 9:39 PM
Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
Brooklyn has to improve on a half court set. Isolating Durant and Irving is not going to work against the Celtics. – 9:39 PM
Kristian Winfield @Krisplashed
Jayson Tatum just rose up and shot over Goran Dragic to give the Celtics a 12-point lead. Kevin Durant has his hands on his hips looking up at the scoreboard. The Nets have been thoroughly outcoached tonight in Boston. A 17-point lead has turned into a 12-poiont hole. – 9:38 PM
Michael C. Wright @mikecwright
Tatum and Smart have both struggled some offensively tonight, but the Celtics have other guys that can step up and make it happen. KD and Kyrie have to be ON every night or they’ve got no shot. – 9:37 PM
Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Just shocking to see KD/Kyrie combining to be 1/9 FGs with no free throw attempts in first 10 minutes of a relevant fourth quarter. – 9:37 PM
Barbara Barker @meanbarb
Durant is 0 for 10 in the second half. – 9:37 PM
Brian Mahoney @briancmahoney
Kevin Durant had to play the entire second halves of some games – including the second night of back-to-backs – down the stretch just to chase down a play-in spot. Maybe the tank is just a little empty. – 9:37 PM
Brad Townsend @townbrad
Durant and Irving are a combined 7-for-29. Boston’s defense is something to behold when it’s clicking. – 9:36 PM
Justin Verrier @JustinVerrier
KD is ~frazzled~ – 9:35 PM
Michael Pina @MichaelVPina
wonder how much of that challenge (that they’ll definitely lose) is nash just giving kyrie and kd a few extra minutes to catch their breath – 9:34 PM
Jorge Sierra @hoopshype
Only Derrick White has shot worse percentages than Kevin Durant so far in the Nets-Celtics series. – 9:33 PM
Michael Lee @MrMichaelLee
For all of the talk about the skill sets of KD & Kyrie, this Brooklyn experiment is proving that even the most talented hoopers need someone on the sideline who’s up for the task & can make the game the easier for them. They work too doggone hard to have so little to show for it. – 9:31 PM
Scott Kushner @ScottDKushner
Looking and Durant and Irving’s numbers it’s surprising it was close for this long.
Terrible nights for both. – 9:30 PM
Barbara Barker @meanbarb
Kevin Durant has five fouls and is getting swarmed every time he touches the ball. – 9:30 PM
John Karalis @John_Karalis
5 fouls on Durant… 5 on Horford – 9:30 PM
Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
Unlike KD, Kyrie is getting pretty good looks for him here in the 4th and just missing them. – 9:30 PM
Nick Friedell @NickFriedell
KD just picked up his fifth foul with 4:03 left in regulation. He’s 4-for-15 from the field and hasn’t found a rhythm in two games. Just a nightmare start to the series for him so far. – 9:30 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Five fouls on Kevin Durant. – 9:29 PM
Steve Popper @StevePopper
Durant with his fifth foul – which is more than his field goal total. – 9:29 PM
Kristian Winfield @Krisplashed
Kevin Durant now has 5 fouls – 9:29 PM
Jay King @ByJayKing
That’s five fouls for Kevin Durant. – 9:29 PM
Sam Vecenie @Sam_Vecenie
Think what this run from Boston is showing: it’s really, really hard to have 2-3 mismatch magnets on the floor defensively at once late in a playoff games, even if you have KD and Kyrie on the other end. – 9:28 PM
Matthew Tynan @Matthew_Tynan
Durant can’t get a single inch of space to work with, and it looks like it’s wearing on him. No burst, everything is heavily contested… Celtics just absolutely suffocating him. – 9:27 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
The Celtics bench had a rough Game 1 (Grant played some decent defense on Durant at times).
Grant and Pritchard have stepped up big time here in Game 2. Was really needed with Tatum and Brown going through it for the first three quarters. – 9:27 PM
Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
Celtics lead the Nets 99-94 with 5:28 left. In the two years I’ve covered Kevin Durant I can’t remember him having a stretch like this. He’s 4-for-15 from the field. – 9:25 PM
Michael C. Wright @mikecwright
Nets superstar duo of Durant and K. Irving is a combined 8 of 26. Game 1 I thought was an anomaly for KD. Didn’t expect to see him struggle 2 games in a row. Credit Boston’s D. – 9:25 PM
Vincent Ellis @AlabamaScribe56
Nets just keep isoing KD and Kyrie. Keep dribbling into thickets of arms. – 9:23 PM
Nick Friedell @NickFriedell
KD and Kyrie are a combined 8-for-26 from the field.
There’s 5:30 left in regulation.
Nets on the verge of a complete meltdown. – 9:23 PM
Andrew Sharp @andrewsharp
KD looking old and tired is forcing me to confront my own mortality. Not enjoying this. – 9:22 PM
Chris Mannix @SIChrisMannix
Brooklyn’s offense lacks any kind of creativity. It’s effectively, here, KD and Kyrie, make a play. Boston isn’t the kind of team you can beat that way. – 9:22 PM
Rob Perez @WorldWideWob
when was the last time Kevin Durant didnt play the entire second half? Golden State? – 9:22 PM
Jay King @ByJayKing
Won’t be at all surprised if he goes off the rest of the way, but you don’t ever see Kevin Durant this out of sorts. Celtics have done a great job on him. Making him work so hard for everything. – 9:20 PM
Stefan Bondy @SBondyNYDN
Man what’s going on with Durant? – 9:20 PM
Kristian Winfield @Krisplashed
2 uncharacteristically poor games from Kevin Durant. – 9:20 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Tatum, Horford and Durant all back in. – 9:19 PM
Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Wild that Dragic has as many buckets (7/11 FGs) as KD and Kyrie combined (7/21 FGs) – 9:15 PM
Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
Kevin Durant is on the bench. These are huge minutes for Boston. – 9:13 PM
Jorge Sierra @hoopshype
Kyrie + KD: 7 of 21.
Nets up by 8. – 9:12 PM
Steve Popper @StevePopper
Durant is 4-for-12 with 5 turnovers but has done damage from the line (12-14). Kyrie is 3-for-9 for 8 points. Tatum is 3-for-13. Smart is 2-for-8 — 1-for-6 from 3. – 9:11 PM
Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
Durant on the bench to begin 4Q. #Celtics #Nets – 9:11 PM
Anthony Puccio @APOOCH
3Q: Nets 90, Celtics 85
KD is just 4/12 with 5 turnovers — 12 of his 21 points at the line.
Kyrie is 3/9 with 8 points & 7 rebounds.
Those two need to get cooking… – 9:11 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Nets lead 90-85 after three
Grant – 17 points
Horford – 16 points
Theis – 15 points
Celtics – 48.3% FGs
Celtics – 8-23 3Ps
Celtics – 13 TOs
Durant – 21 points
Brown – 18/6/4
Dragic – 16 points
Curry – 14 points
Nets – 52.6% FGs
Nets – 9-17 3Ps
Nets – 12 TOs – 9:11 PM
Brad Botkin @bradbotkincbs
this kind of game pokes a lot of holes in the “Kevin Durant is indefensible nothing bothers him he can shoot over everyone” theory. You won’t see him rattled like this often but Boston is ALL OVER HIM – 9:11 PM
Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
#Celtics trail #Nets 90-85 after 3Q. GWilliams 17, Horford 16, Theis 15, Brown 12, Tatum 12; Durant 21, Brown 18, Dragic 16, Curry 14, Irving 8.
Tatum & Brown: 8-25 FG
Durant & Irving: 7-21 FG. – 9:10 PM
StatMuse @statmuse
Kevin Durant through 3 quarters:
4 baskets
4 fouls
5 turnovers pic.twitter.com/uTYRF1cjYt – 9:09 PM
Kristian Winfield @Krisplashed
Nets take a 90-85 lead over the Celtics into the fourth quarter. Kevin Durant is 4-of-12 from the field, but three other Nets have scored in double figures. That’s going to have to be the recipe for success until KD and/or Kyrie get hot. Kyrie has 8 points. Nets others stepped up – 9:09 PM
Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
End of 3rd QTR: Nets 90, Celtics 85
Kevin Durant (21 PTS), Bruce Brown (18 PTS), Goran Dragić (16 PTS) & the Nets have cooled down offensively. Boston has taken advantage, outscoring Brooklyn 30-25 in the third period. The Celtics also have 21 team assists to the Nets’ 14. – 9:08 PM
John Karalis @John_Karalis
That was actually KD’s 4th foul. I thought I heard 5th foul announced over the PA. Still a big foul call but not quite the same impact – 8:59 PM
Rob Peterson @ShotDrJr
Rotations in this Celtics-Nets series are short: Durant, Tatum and Smart are 30-plus minutes through 2:40 in the 3rd; Kyrie at 28-plus minutes. – 8:59 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Foul trouble watch:
Boston
4 – Horford
3 – Tatum, Theis, White
Brooklyn
4 – Durant, Curry
3 – Claxton, Dragic, Drummond – 8:58 PM
Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbach
The 6 leading scorers in this game: Bruce Brown, Grant Williams, Kevin Durant, Goran Dragic, Al Horford, Daniel Theis. – 8:58 PM
Nick Friedell @NickFriedell
Celtics have come all the way back from a 17 point deficit. Kyrie has just six points. He is 3-for-9 from the field. KD just picked up his fourth foul. The Nets are in a bad place. It’s time for Kyrie to get rolling — or else Brooklyn is in big trouble. – 8:58 PM
Abby Chin @tvabby
The Garden is rockin’ and KD just picked up his fourth fould with 2:40 to go in the third. Let’s go!! – 8:57 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Four fouls on Kevin Durant. – 8:57 PM
Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
Fourth foul on Durant. #Celtics #Nets – 8:57 PM
Sam Quinn @SamQuinnCBS
The way Boston has defended Durant reminds me a lot of the way Houston did in 2018 and 2019, except they’re bigger and have better personnel. – 8:57 PM
Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
This is about as bad as KD has looked since he came back. It’s starting to impact his effort too. Just got shoved out of the way on a FT rebound by Williams for a putback. – 8:55 PM
John Karalis @John_Karalis
Jaylen made the steal on Durant to get Tatum the dunk, which was great, but then he got overzealous on the Drummond drive and left Curry wide open in the corner. Then 2 quick fouls on Tatum and after all that it’s just 3 points off the halftime lead – 8:48 PM
Jeff Zillgitt @JeffZillgitt
So far, four of Kevin Durant’s five turnovers have led to nine Celtics points. – 8:47 PM
Adam Himmelsbach @AdamHimmelsbach
Celtics have been just swarming Durant from all angles this quarter. That’s 3 turnovers in the first 5 mins of the third. – 8:47 PM
Chris Mannix @SIChrisMannix
KD just looks so out of synch. Boston’s physicality has been very effective against him in this series. – 8:46 PM
Steve Popper @StevePopper
A flurry of Durant turnovers – now five in the game – and another Celtics breakaway dunk and it’s a 2-point lead. – 8:46 PM
James Boyd @RomeovilleKid
They locking KD up!!! – 8:43 PM
Yaron Weitzman @YaronWeitzman
Durant hasnt looked this flustered since PJ Carlesimo was his head coach – 8:43 PM
Vincent Goodwill @VinceGoodwill
Steve Nash has got to get KD the ball on the move and somewhere outside of 25 feet. Make it easier for him – 8:42 PM
Steve Popper @StevePopper
Jaylen Brown steals it from Durant, races upcourt and draws a foul on Kyrie and converts the break. Three-point play and Nets’ lead is down to 5 and Kyrie sucks chants are in fashion again. – 8:39 PM
Jay King @ByJayKing
Thought the Nets defense really disrupted a lot of what Boston wanted to do, but the Celtics still finished with 48.6/33.3 shooting splits with a lot of free throw attempts. They allowed Brooklyn to shoot 60 percent. Need to do a much better job defending non-Durant/Kyrie Nets. – 8:23 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Nets lead 65-55 at the half
Grant – 13 points
Horford – 10 points
Theis – 9 points
Tatum – 7 points, 5 assists
Celtics – 47% FGs
Celtics – 6-19 3P
Celtics – 9 TOs
Dragic – 16 points
Durant – 15 points
Brown – 14 points
Curry – 8 points
Nets – 60% FGs
Nets – 6-12 3P
Nets – 8 TOs – 8:21 PM
Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
Halftime: Nets lead the Celtics 65-55. Goran Dragic remains a problem in Boston. He’s got 16 points on 70 percent shooting. Kevin Durant with 15, Bruce Brown with 14. Celtics still within striking distance, though. – 8:19 PM
Kristian Winfield @Krisplashed
HALFTIME: Nets 65, Celtics 55
Nets led by as many as 17 before the Celtics’ run cut it down to 9.
KD: 15 PTS, 4/7 FG
BRUCE: 14 PTS, 5/8 FG
DRAGIC: 16 PTS, 7/10 FG
HORFORD: 10 PTS
TATUM: 7 PTS, 2/8 FG
GRANT: 13 PTS, 3/3 3PT
SETH: 8 PTS, 2/4 3PT
KYRIE: 6 PTS, 3/6 FG – 8:19 PM
James Boyd @RomeovilleKid
Boston is playing the best defense I’ve ever seen against KD. – 8:18 PM
Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
HALF: Nets 65, Celtics 55
Goran Dragić (16 PTS), Kevin Durant (15 PTS), Bruce Brown (14 PTS) & the Nets are shooting well while also dominating the glass. They’re shooting it at 60% while outrebounding Boston 19-13. – 8:18 PM
Jeff Zillgitt @JeffZillgitt
So, Goran Dragic (13 points) and Bruce Brown (14 points, four, rebounds, two assists, a block, a steal) going to do damage to the Celtics. Throw in some Seth Curry (eight points), too.
Let’s include Kevin Durant’s 15 points as Nets put up 60-plus in first half vs. Celtics. – 8:16 PM
Kristian Winfield @Krisplashed
First a pull up three, then a layup in transition. Kevin Durant has 15 points on 4/7 FG and his back to back baskets opened up a 17-point Nets lead before that last Al Horford three. – 8:16 PM
John Hollinger @johnhollinger
Worrying thing for Boston is that this isn’t KD/Kyrie going supernova; the Nets’ randoms are doing most of the damage. – 8:13 PM
Michael Pina @MichaelVPina
durant was attacking theis in the pick-and-roll. ime responds by subbing horford in. – 8:08 PM
Jay King @ByJayKing
Probably not great for the Celtics that they keep losing non-Durant minutes. – 8:01 PM
Kristian Winfield @Krisplashed
Timeout, Celtics: The Nets lead, 45-31, behind 14 from Bruce Brown, 6 each from Kyrie and Seth, and 10 from Kevin Durant. The Nets have done a better job taking care of the ball (5 TOs), have 8 assists on 15 FGM and have held Boston to 10/24 FG & 3/10 3PM. – 7:58 PM
Kristian Winfield @Krisplashed
Spinning layup got every Net on the bench out their seat. And KD is checking back in. – 7:52 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Nets lead 33-24 after one
Grant – 8 points
Horford – 4 points
Theis – 4 points
Celtics – 38.9% FGs
Celtics – 2-7 threes
Celtics – 4 turnovers
Brown – 12 points
Durant – 10/3/3
Nets – 58.8% FGs
Nets – 3-4 threes
Nets – 5 turnovers – 7:48 PM
Alex Schiffer @Alex__Schiffer
End of the first quarter: Nets lead the Celtics 33-24. Bruce Brown with 12, Kevin Durant right behind him at 10. A lot of fouls like last game, but Nets in a better flow early on than they were in Game 1. – 7:47 PM
Kristian Winfield @Krisplashed
Nets lead, 33-24, at the end of the first quarter. Celtics are sending two at Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on the drive, but KD has 10 with 6 at the foul line and Bruce Brown has 12 early points. Going to be a long game. Celtics are going away any time soon. – 7:47 PM
Gary Washburn @GwashburnGlobe
#Celtics trail #Nets 33-24 after 1Q. Bruce Brown was the key, 12 pts in nine min. Durant 10. GWilliams 8, Horford 4, Theis 3, Brown 3, Tatum 2. – 7:47 PM
Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
Bruce Brown too slow rotating out to Williams at the top, he and KD didn’t get the communication right and he hits another 3. – 7:46 PM
Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
End of 1st QTR: Nets 33, Celtics 24
Bruce Brown (12 PTS), Kevin Durant (10 PTS) & the Nets are struggling to take care of the ball. They have 5 turnovers. Their perimeter defense though has been stellar, Brooklyn is holding Boston to 29% from downtown. – 7:46 PM
Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
It’s the end of a 12 minute stint, but that’s not fast enough from KD, just kinda saunters over to close out to the corner and Grant Williams hits the 3 after the double on Tatum. – 7:45 PM
Kristian Winfield @Krisplashed
Kevin Durant grimaced after Grant Williams hit him in the midsection, and is now arguing with a referee because the foul was called on him. – 7:42 PM
Kristian Winfield @Krisplashed
Timeout, Brooklyn: The Nets hold an 11-point lead over the Celtics here at the 3:09 mark of the 1st quarter. Bruce Brown has 12 points and hasn’t missed a shot. Kevin Durant has 8 points and is 6/6 from the foul line. Nets have 5 AST on 7 FGM and have held Boston to 5/12 FG – 7:37 PM
Brian Lewis @NYPost_Lewis
Coach K, Wanda Durant, Joe Tsai all on the sidelines for #Nets–#Celtics. #NBA – 7:35 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Can’t play drop coverage against KD. – 7:21 PM
Kristian Winfield @Krisplashed
Kevin Durant hits a pull up jumper over 2 Celtics defenders for his first basket of the night. Good sign. – 7:20 PM
Sean Grande @SeanGrandePBP
Nets at Celtics– TD Garden – April 20, 2022 – Game 2 Starting Lineups
Boston – Smart, Brown, Tatum, Horford, Theis
Brooklyn – Kyrie Irving, Seth Curry, Bruce Brown, Kevin Durant, Andre Drummond
OUT: Boston: Rob Williams Brooklyn: Ben Simmons, Joe Harris pic.twitter.com/GIIUN78RmP – 7:02 PM
Steve Bulpett @SteveBHoop
Among the MANY keys for Boston-Brooklyn Game 2, here are two I’m watching:
Nets: Expecting them to try to free up Durant by running him off a series of picks
Celtics: Ball security. Push the pace against Nets’ D while avoiding turnovers that could lead to easy Brooklyn buckets – 6:44 PM
Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
The Nets’ Starters vs. the Celtics:
👴🏾Kyrie Irving
💦Seth Curry
🔒Bruce Brown
💲Kevin Durant
🦍Andre Drummond – 6:35 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Celtics starters tonight:
Daniel Theis
Al Horford
Jayson Tatum
Jaylen Brown
Marcus Smart
Nets starters:
Andre Drummond
Bruce Brown
Kevin Durant
Seth Curry
Kyrie Irving – 6:31 PM
Dave Early @DavidEarly
“It’s incredible to have Kevin Durant on your team…. but this isn’t just about Kevin tonight it’s about our team playing better.”
Steve Nash talks about isn’t worried about KD, who struggled in Game 1. But wants to get his star more help. pic.twitter.com/3JUQNf35E8 – 5:55 PM
Brian Lewis @NYPost_Lewis
Steve Nash on Kevin Durant’s penchant of bouncing back after poor games: “That’s just the nature of top top players. It’s very hard for them to have two bad games…It’s normal for a top player when they have a bad game to have a big game the next night.” #Nets – 5:36 PM
Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps
It’s been 1,044 days since an NBA playoff game was played in Toronto. That was Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals – the game Kevin Durant tore his Achilles. Surreal to be back here for Game 3 of this series tonight as he and the Brooklyn Nets get ready to play tonight in Boston. – 5:35 PM
Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
“This is not all on Kevin (Durant). He has carried us so far.”
⁃Steve Nash on Game 2. – 5:34 PM
Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
Steve Nash says,
“We just want Kevin (Durant) to play free.” – 5:32 PM
Steve Popper @StevePopper
Udoka said he doesn’t expect Durant to struggle again. And robert Williams III has progressed to 3-on-3 but they aren’t counting on him soon. – 5:28 PM
Kristian Winfield @Krisplashed
Ime Udoka said he saw a stat that says Kevin Durant averages 41.8 points per game coming off of a playoff loss. Udoka says the Celtics know KD will be in attack mode and that they can’t sit back and let him go to work. #NetsWorld – 5:22 PM
Bill Simmons @BillSimmons
My Wednesday #samegameparlay for @FDSportsbook hits four Nets/Celts predictions that I like
—Game 2 will be pretty close
—Smart 15+ pts
—Tatum 4+ assists
—2+ threes by KD
+424 on Fan Duel right now! pic.twitter.com/pV4OVUjY88 – 4:01 PM
Ian Begley @IanBegley
From earlier: it’s fair to assume Kevin Durant will miss fewer shots tonight vs. BOS. But can BKN close the rebounding gap during pivotal Game 2? Given circumstances, you could argue this is Nets’ biggest game since they moved from East Rutherford to BKN: sny.tv/articles/nets-… – 3:59 PM
Will Guillory @WillGuillory
Players with 35+ points, 10+ rebounds and 9+ assists in a playoff game before turning 25:
Oscar Robertson (4x)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Charles Barkley
Devin Booker
Luka Doncic
Kevin Durant
LeBron James
Nikola Jokic
Isiah Thomas
Brandon Ingram – 2:53 PM
Ajayi Browne @ajayibrowne
Whoever is guarding Kevin Durant tonight is in danger. – 1:15 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
For @celticsblog I looked at some stuff Boston did well in Game 1, some things they need to fix for Game 2 and one really ugly thing:
-Being physical with KD
-Tatum’s passing
-Hitting the offensive glass
-Bench struggles
-Pace
-D against Kyrie
-The refs
celticsblog.com/2022/4/20/2303… – 12:01 PM
Chris Forsberg @ChrisForsberg_
“Both [Brown + Tatum] are going to take their game even further if they beat KD and Kyrie. That’s a huge mountain to climb.”
Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady has been pushing Jaylen Brown for almost a decade. He sees a big leap coming if Jays take down Nets.
nbcsports.com/boston/celtics… – 11:28 AM
CBS NBA @CBSSportsNBA
NBA playoffs picks, best bets: Why Celtics can take Game 2 vs. Nets, even if Kevin Durant bounces back
cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-p… – 11:01 AM
Michael Pina @MichaelVPina
There are 285 players in NBA history who’ve appeared in at least 75 playoff games. Among them, only Jordan has a higher scoring average than Kevin Durant.
In Game 1, KD had one of the worst playoff games of his entire career. Boston’s defense is why: si.com/nba/2022/04/20… – 10:25 AM
Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
New film breakdown on @The Athletic:
Inside the Celtics game plan to make Kevin Durant miserable https://t.co/hofxcOtcNF pic.twitter.com/A6qw1F4HjJ – 10:13 AM
Michael Pina @MichaelVPina
on how the celtics slowed kevin durant down in game 1, and what it says about the rest of this series: si.com/nba/2022/04/20… – 10:02 AM
More on this storyline
Keith Smith: Daniel Theis was asked if he heard what Bruce Brown said: “Yeah, I did. (big smile). I mean, he said what he said. So for us, show it on the court. If thinks the way he thinks, we’re going to prove him wrong.” -via Twitter @KeithSmithNBA / April 14, 2022
Gary Washburn: Durant on Brown’s comments: “We don’t need to say shit like that. Let’s just go out there and hoop.” #Celtics #Nets -via Twitter @GwashburnGlobe / April 13, 2022
Gary Washburn: Kevin Durant just heard Bruce Brown’s words and is trying to calm the narrative: “That’s caffeine pride talking. Those dudes (Horford and Theis) can do the same things (as Williams).” #Celtics #Nets -via Twitter @GwashburnGlobe / April 13, 2022
