Jayson Tatum scored the decisive basket in a gripping game with the final siren to 115:114 (61:61). “I think that’s a kind of microcosm for our season,” said coach Ime Udoka about the final move in which all five Celtics professionals were involved on the court, “that the boys move the ball unselfishly.”
The strong team performance was also expressed in numbers. Tatum had 31 points, Jaylen Brown had 23 and Al Horford and Marcus Smart each had 20. Theis started at center and contributed four points and six rebounds to the Celtics’ opening win.
Irving shows the middle finger
At Brooklyn, on the other hand, Kyrie Irving stood out with 39 points. The former Celtics pro tangled with the fans in Boston several times during the heated game and also showed them the middle finger. The second Nets star, Kevin Durant, had a poor evening despite 23 points, only hit nine of 24 shots and lost six balls.
In the other games of the evening, the favorites prevailed more clearly at the start of their series. The Miami Heat, seeded number one in the East, dominated the Atlanta Hawks at 115:91. Defending champion Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 93-86. In the west, the best preliminary round team, the Phoenix Suns, led by playmaker Chris Paul, defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 110-99.
In the NBA Playoffs, the team that has four wins first advances to the next round.
Match Statistics Celtics vs Nets
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