Nets vs. Celtics: 3 things we learned from Brooklyn’s Christmas win
The Boston Celtics looked much better in the first half against the Nets than they did throughout their entire preseason matchup with Brooklyn. But one half of solid play isn’t going to cut it against the Nets, as Boston and the rest of the NBA learned on Christmas Day.
By walking away with a 123-95 win over the Celtics on Friday, the Nets became the first team since the 2008-09 Los Angeles Lakers to open up the season with back-to-back 20-plus-point wins. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant nearly combined for exactly half of the Nets’ scoring, finishing with 66 points as a pair.
Here are three things we learned from Brooklyn’s sizeable Christmas day win in Boston:
Kyrie Irving has no intention of slowing down
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Irving is Brooklyn's leading point-getter through the first two games, following up his 26-point performance with an 11-point, Nets franchise record-setting increase against the C's. As much as 63 points through two games is an impressive total, his efficiency is more important for the Nets' future. Irving is 23-for-37 from the floor (62.2%) and 11-for-17 from three (64.7%) to start the season. It's only been two games, but he's put up a lot of shots in 59 minutes -- and taken advantage of a staggering amount of those opportunities.
Jarrett Allen's role is starting to look a lot like Caris LeVert's
Credit: Gregory Fisher - USA TODAY Sports
Since the Nets cruised past the Golden State Warriors in their season-opener, it wasn't shocking to see Brooklyn's starting center, DeAndre Jordan, play fewer minutes than Jarrett Allen. Friday's game in Boston was nearly a 30-point win, but this matchup got close at times. The Celtics even tried to mount a comeback late -- which the Nets squashed pretty by bringing their two stars back on the floor. But when Durant and Irving returned to the court to put an end to whatever hopes Boston had at a win, it was Allen who played center, not Jordan. Perhaps the young big man will see his share of closing minutes throughout 2020-21 despite coming off the bench.
Gap between Brooklyn and rest of East looks large already
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It's only been two games, but the rest of the East now knows who runs the conference. The Celtics are supposed to be a top-five team in the East and they barely hung with the Nets. Not only did Durant and Irving combine for 66 points, but they also each had a plus-minus of 31. They cannot be stopped or outdueled right now -- and the rest of the NBA has already taken notice. Brooklyn still has plenty of big games against Eastern Conference teams, but their matchups with Utah (1/5), Denver (1/12), the Clippers (2/2) and Lakers (2/18) before the All-Star break are the ones to mark down as must-watch games on your calendar.
