Jayson Tatum Drops 54, Outduels Kevin Durant as Celtics Beat Nets

It's March, and the Brooklyn Nets have a losing record. They have Jayson Tatum to thank for that.

Despite Kevin Durant already back at an MVP-esque level in just his second game following a knee injury and Kyrie Irving available to play, the Nets dropped a crucial matchup against the Boston Celtics on Sunday, losing 126-120.

Tatum was incandescent, going for 54 points and spoiling a big night from Durant.

No team in the NBA has more variance in its upside than the Nets (32-33). Irving still can't play home games. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Sunday that Ben Simmons definitely wouldn't be making his debut for the team until sometime after a March 10 road matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Nobody knows what this Nets team will look like in the playoffs, if it even gets there. So beating an ascending Celtics team (39-27) that had won 15 of its last 18 games would have been a great sign.

No dice. Brooklyn is now the No. 9 seed in the East and stuck in a play-in tournament spot, five games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for the No. 6 seed. For a team with a reworked roster after the James Harden trade and limited amount of time to figure things out, things continue to look grim.

The Celtics, meanwhile, continue to look like a legitimate contender in the East. They are now just 4.5 games behind the Miami Heat for the top seed in the conference. And when Tatum gets cooking, they sure are tough to beat.

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Key Stats

Jayson Tatum, BOS: 54 points, 8-of-15 from three

Jaylen Brown, BOS: 21 points, five assists, three steals

Marcus Smart, BOS: 14 points, nine assists

Kevin Durant, BKN: 37 points, eight assists, six rebounds, two blocks

Kyrie Irving, BKN: 19 points, six assists

Bruce Brown, BKN: 16 points, six boards, five assists, one steal, one block

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Tatum vs. Durant Was One Heck of a Battle

And NBA fans were the winners. Well, alongside Tatum's Celtics.

For much of this game, it seemed as though these two went bucket for bucket, one-upping the other as the game progressed. It was fun to watch.

It was a big game for both teams, no doubt, with plenty of repercussions and talking points when it comes to playoff positioning. But sometimes, you just have to enjoy the beauty of good ball. Tatum and Durant made it easy to do so Sunday.

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Bruce Brown Had Himself a Game

With Irving having a muted offensive performance and Simmons still sidelined, the Nets needed one of their role players to step up against a tough Boston team. Brown took it upon himself to do so.

His hustle and versatility were big for Brooklyn on Sunday, helping keep them in the game, and likely will be huge come the playoffs.

The Nets will only go as far as Durant and Irving take them. But players like Brown have the ability to lighten that load. He showed as much against Boston, even in a loss.

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What's Next?

Both teams travel to Charlotte to face the Hornets this week. The Nets get them Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, while the Celtics face them the next night at that same time. Not at an easy back-to-back for the Hornets as they also battle for a playoff berth.