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Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets showed what the “Big” is capable of in their 104-93 win over the Boston Celtics on Saturday. More than their offense, however, they were able to stop Jayson Tatum to prevent the Cs from gaining momentum.
In his post-game presser, Durant gave his thoughts about the game and his honest assessment on how the Nets were able to stop Tatum. According to the 32-year-old scorer, the key for Brooklyn was making Tatum uncomfortable and forcing him to take tough shots.
"We did a good job of making him shoot tough ones"
Kevin Durant talks about how he and the Nets held Jayson Tatum scoreless in the second half: pic.twitter.com/yDdlkH15UV
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) May 23, 2021
Sure enough, defense played a big role in the Nets' victory. Sure, the Big 3 of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving combined for 82 points, but the fact that they held the Celtics to just 93 points is equally impressive, if not more crucial. After all, everybody knows Brooklyn can score, but the question surrounding them heading to the postseason is if their defense can hold its own against playoff basketball.
As the Nets proved, they can turn it up a notch come playoff time.
Tatum, for his part, struggled a lot against the Nets' defense. He made 22 points, but it came on an inefficient 6-of-20 shooting from the field–including 1-of-4 from 3-point terriroty.
It remains to be seen if the Nets can stay consistent defensively, especially since the Celtics showed in the first half of the contest that their offense can keep up with Brooklyn's. Also, Brad Stevens is expected to make some adjustments in Game 2 in hopes of a bounce back win on the road.
For now, it sure looks like the Nets are trending in the right direction.
