Boston Celtics show impressive fight, but fall 104-93 to Brooklyn Nets in Game 1 of NBA Playoffs

NEW YORK — The Celtics came out swinging, looking disciplined defensively and hunting for the upset bid. While Boston looked like it could hang with the star-studded Nets, Brooklyn turned up the intensity in the second half.

While the C’s tried desperately to hang on amid a Nets run, they weren’t able to climb out of a hole in their 104-93 loss Saturday at Barclays Center. Boston had a real chance to steal Game 1 and home-court advantage in the series, though the C’s will look to regroup for Game 2.

It was all Celtics from tipoff, looking like a different team from the regular season, playing their way to a 53-47 halftime lead. That’s when Brooklyn went on its run in the third quarter. The Nets remembered how to hit 3-pointers while the Celtics’ shots dried up. While the 14,391 fans at Barclay Center were on edge, the Celtics did well to chip it to a five-point game going into the fourth quarter.

The Nets had just more firepower and made shots over the Celtics as they buried the visitors in the fourth quarter.

Jayson Tatum had a strong start, but it was Marcus Smart who kept the Celtics afloat when they needed it. But it wasn’t enough for the Celtics, who shot just 36.9% from the field. Tatum finished with 22 points, but it was on 6-for-20 shooting as the Nets could load up their defensive efforts. Smart had 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting.

Robert Williams III played through turf toe, visibly limping at points, as he finished with an impressive game with 11 points and nine rebounds, including a franchise playoff record nine blocks.

Kevin Durant finished with 32 points and 12 rebounds, overcoming a slow start. Former Celtic Kyrie Irving had 29 points while James Harden finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

The Celtics and Nets meet back for Game 2 of the series at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Barclays Center.

Here are four takeaways from Boston’s Game 1 loss to Brooklyn:

Celtics needed more from their scorers: Boston’s two leading scorers from the play-in win game over the Wizards struggled all night for the C’s. While Tatum started strong, making his first three shots, he faded in the second half as the Nets upped their pressure on him. It wasn’t a much better tale for Kemba Walker, who battled foul trouble all night on his way to 15 points on 5-for-16 shooting. Evan Fournier shot 3-for-10 for 10 points. It’s where the Celtics desperately needed their third star, Jaylen Brown, who’s out for the season after wrist surgery and regulated to street clothes while watching from the sideline.

The defense looked improved, prepared: All the projections had the Nets running away with this series, blitzing a Celtics defense that was underwhelming all season long. That wasn’t the case Saturday, when the Celtics looked like they had at least a few answers for the Nets. While some of that can be chalked up to shooting luck, Boston looked like, at minimum, like a team with effort and communication on that end. Turns out, getting a few days to prepare for an opponent — a novelty during this crammed NBA season — helps out a team after all. The Nets finished shooting just 41.7% from the floor Saturday.

Celtics are a different team with Williams on the floor: The C’s won’t get a fully healthy roster this postseason with Brown out and Williams nursing a turf toe injury. But they at least had Williams available Saturday — and he immediately made a difference. Boston gets a different dynamic with Williams in the game, especially with the Nets featuring a weak point down in the paint at center.

Parker surprises: Just a few months ago, Jabari Parker was a seldom-used bench piece for the Kings. The former top pick was looking for an opportunity; he found that with the Celtics late in the season. While Parker didn’t always have a rotation role down the stretch of the season, Stevens elected to go with Parker for extended stretches Saturday. That decision ended up paying off as Parker put up a solid game, finishing with nine points and four rebounds in 21 minutes.