The No. 2 Boston Celtics defeated the No. 7 Brooklyn Nets 109-103 in Game 3 on Saturday night at the Barclays Center.
The Celtics are now up 3-0 over the Nets in the best-of-seven series.
You can check out the full box score here.
ONE KEY TAKEAWAY
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown rose to the occasion in Game 3 leading the Celtics offense that led by as much as 15 points. The Boston duo combined for 62 points. Nets stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were, once again, slowed down by the Celtics' No. 1 defense that saw the return of Robert Williams. Time Lord was limited off the bench playing 16 minutes.
Durant and Irving were both held to 16 points. Irving shot 0-for-7 from the 3-point line, but he and Durant combined for 17 assists, keeping the Nets within reaching distance. However, it was Tatum and Brown who held down the Nets comeback hopes in the fourth quarter led by, surprisingly, Blake Griffin.
The six-time All Star has not played a game in over three weeks, but coach Steve Nash brought Griffin on to spark the team, and he did just that scoring eight points in eight minutes, including shooting 2-3 from beyond the arc. Griffin's involvement, though, proved to be a double-edged sword as Brown took advantage of the veteran adding to his 23-point game.
STARS OF THE GAME
-- Tatum was essential in the offensive end, but he got on the stat sheet on the defensive end with six steals. The Celtics star became the youngest player in franchise history to score at least 25 points and record at least five steals in a playoff game.
-- Brown was lights out in the fourth quarter, taking lead ballhandling duties and pinpointing mismatches. He recorded five assists and two steals to go along with his 23 points.
-- Bruce Brown led the Nets in scoring. Durant and Irving were forced to pass the ball off due to the Celtics' double teams, and Brown was the biggest beneficiary. Brown scored 26 points and grabbed eight boards.
WAGER WATCH
The Celtics closed as four-point underdogs (-110) at DraftKings Sportsbook, meaning a $100 bet on the spread would have paid out $190.91. The Celtics moneyline closed at 3-to-2, meaning a $100 bet on the moneyline would have paid out $250.
UP NEXT
Game 4 of Celtics-Nets is scheduled for Monday. Tip off is set for 7:00 p.m. ET at the Barclays Center, and the game will air on TNT.
