3 observations from Nets’ crucial loss to the Celtics in Game 3

The Brooklyn Nets hosted the Boston Celtics as their first-round series swung to Barclays Center on Saturday night. Brooklyn hoped to avoid the historically insurmountable 3-0 series deficit. Boston looked to put the Nets on the brink of elimination with a victory. The Nets were unable to secure stops down the stretch of the fourth quarter, falling 109-103 to dig themselves the dreaded 3-0 hole.

Bruce Brown led the Nets with 26 points on 10-for-19 shooting. He also pulled down 8 rebounds, but committed 5 turnovers.

Buy Nets Tickets

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving combined for 32 points on 12-for-28 shooting and 17 assists.

Here are 3 observations from a loss that sends the Nets to the brink of elimination.

You knew you were getting an early shootout to set the tone in the game. You just didn’t expect it to be Jayson Tatum and….Bruce Brown. Tatum opened the game with 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting. Brown, meanwhile, led the Nets with 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting going into the second quarter.

Tatum is obviously a high-usage star who is going to self-provision his scores  often and, to a less common extent, shoot off ball swings from teammates.

Brown’s output, however, is a bit more difficult to digest. But with Kevin Durant being absolutely smothered on every touch and dribble penetration leading to kick-outs being a significant focal point of Brooklyn’s offense, it makes sense that Brown would get some catch-and-shoot looks from deep. He’s also a great weapon for ball-handlers looking to beat pressure. He flashes to gaps in the floor to relieve the trap, pivots to the basket, and makes his move. On Saturday, the move was being aggressive for scores.

And when none of that is happening, Brown is there to create chaos for live-ball turnovers. In the scramble, he runs a route to the rim looking for a touchdown in transition.

It’s been hard for Kevin Durant to do much of anything with all the ball pressure he’s been facing. In fact, most of the shots he’s had in this series have been met with multiple contests. Boston has keyed in on him perfectly.

But when trailing 2-0 and playing the always-pivotal Game 3, Kevin Durant was reduced to 16 points on 11 shots and 2 free throws in 46 minutes.

He did, however, pull down 8 rebounds and and dish 8 assists. But, Durant was also credited with 5 turnovers.

The Nets were ultimately outscored by 2 points with him on the floor.

To say that Durant was the reason the Nets are in a 3-0 hole is perhaps narrow. But, he needed to be more aggressive and find ways to be a superstar, and he failed at that. It’s not like there’s no one else there to relieve the pressure, either. Kyrie Irving, as ineffective as he was, is a running mate capable of scoring in a variety of ways. That doesn’t account for the likes of Seth Curry and Patty Mills on the perimeter, either.

Blake Griffin played some inspiring minutes for the desperate Nets, getting on the floor for a loose ball and making some other energy plays. Griffin also drained a pair of threes and a set of free throws to give Brooklyn 8 points in 8 minutes.

Beyond Griffin, though, the Nets had nothing in the fourth quarter. Durant and Irving were out of gas, and the closing lineup featured multiple under-sized shooters in Mills and Curry. The Nets made their fair share of shots, but they couldn’t string together any stops. Boston took advantage of its size advantage on the wings to get good looks at jumpers all over the floor. When they weren’t scoring against those size advantages, they were making the extra pass to spray in triples from the bench-side corner to keep the Nets at arm’s length.

The nail in the coffin was transition defense, as the Nets let Jayson Tatum get behind them for easy fast break finishes as the clock approached midnight on any chance the Nets had of winning the series.

The Nets (0-3) will try to force a Game 5 on Monday when they host the Celtics (3-0) in Game 4. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET. You can catch the drama on TNT.