Nets Beat Celtics in Game 1 as Durant, Harden, Irving Combine for 82 Points

Set Number: X163593 TK1

The No. 2 Brooklyn Nets took Game 1 of their first-round playoff series with the No. 7 Boston Celtics, 104-93, at Barclays Center on Saturday to retain home-court advantage in the best-of-seven contest.

It's the fourth consecutive Nets win over Boston after they handily swept the regular-season series and has the short-handed Celtics club already in danger.

Without Jaylen Brown (left wrist) available for the postseason, Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker were forced to take on more responsibility on offense, combining for 37 points and seven assists in Game 1.

That wasn't nearly enough to contend with Brooklyn's Big Three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, who tallied 82 points in the victory despite having played just eight games together in the regular season.

After going 2-6 over their final eight regular-season games, the postseason has the Celtics still struggling to find the win column.

Notable Performers

Kevin Durant, SF, Brooklyn Nets: 32 points, 12 rebounds

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Kyrie Irving, SG, Brooklyn Nets: 29 points, 6 rebounds

James Harden, PG, Brooklyn Nets: 21 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals

Jayson Tatum, SF, Boston Celtics: 22 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds

Robert Williams III, C, Boston Celtics: 11 points, 9 rebounds, 9 blocks

Nets Rely on Defense as Offense Stalls

If the Nets were out to prove they could create instant chemistry in the postseason, the first half of Game 1 didn't help convince anyone. Durant, Irving, Harden, Blake Griffin and Joe Harris were all in the starting lineup for the first time this season, and the results were far from what anyone in Brooklyn hoped for.

The first half saw the Nets miss their first 10 three-point attempts before Harris finally got one to go down with 2:18 left in the second quarter. By that point, Boston had already built a nine-point lead and went into the break up 53-47 while the Nets continued to struggle.

Overall, Brooklyn went 1-of-13 from behind the arc in the first half, shot 40.5 percent from the field in general and committed twice as many turnovers (eight) as the Celtics.

All while Boston went 9-of-17 from three and continued to put pressure on the home team.

"We knew it was a matter of minutes before things started to turn for us on defense," Durant told ESPN on the court after the win."... Most of it was settling down. We rushed a lot of shots early."

The offense may not have settled in for Brooklyn, but the defense certainly did. While the Nets finished the night shooting 41.7 percent from the field, they gave up just 20 points in both the third and fourth quarters, kept Walker's mid-range game from getting into a rhythm and made sure Tatum didn't get many clean looks at the rim.

Boston shot 36.9 percent from the floor for the night and couldn't hold back the Nets once they regained the lead early in the second half. It only took under two minutes in the fourth quarter to prove how thin the Celtics' margin for error is in this series.

After Evan Fournier missed a jumper that would've kept it a one-possession game, Brooklyn went on a 9-0 run to go up 12 and close things out with ease.

Robert Williams III Has Arrived

After the Celtics drafted center Robert Williams III No. 27 overall out of Texas A&M in 2018, the big man became somewhat notorious for a missed introductory conference call and a flight. The joke among Boston fans was that Williams was actually a Time Lord and he wasn't late to those events so much as living in a different timeline.

Whatever the case, the nickname stuck, though Williams' performance Saturday showed he'd arrived at just the right time against Brooklyn.

Despite battling through a turf toe injury that limited his minutes in Game 1, Williams was far and away the most impressive player on Boston's bench, nearly posting a triple-double while setting a franchise playoff record for blocks (9).

"He's shifting over on every one of our drives," Irving told reporters afterward. "His timing is amazing."

With Tatum in foul trouble and Walker's shot struggling to fall, the defensive prowess of Williams kept the Celtics alive for far longer than anyone would've imagined without Brown available. That he did it in just 23 minutes—playing behind Tristan Thompson and Jabari Parker—made it all the more impressive.

Williams was the only Celtic besides Parker to play at least 20 minutes and post a positive plus-minus (plus-five) against Brooklyn. His nine rebounds, 11 points and no turnovers made him the Celtics' top weapon on a night when both teams were forced to rely on their defense.

If Williams can remain a top player—which means staying healthy in the process—the loss of Brown may not be the dagger in Boston's season many thought it was. If not, this series could end pretty quickly as the Nets' Big Three continues to build chemistry.

What's Next?

Game 2 between Boston and Brooklyn is set for Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT from Barclays Center.