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Keys to the Game: Nets 123, Celtics 109

Marc D'Amico
Team Reporter and Analyst

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Celtics Playoffs presented by Putnam Investments & Arbella Insurance

Key Moment

The Boston Celtics remained within striking distance for the high majority of Tuesday night’s Game 5 against the Brooklyn Nets. The problem for Boston is that it was never able to make a run to overtake the Nets.

It was an eight-point game with 7:56 remaining on the clock after Evan Fournier converted a conventional three-point play off of a driving layup. Brooklyn, however, answered Fournier’s bucket in a big way by scoring six straight points in a span of just 16 seconds to push its lead all the way out to 14 at the 7:20 mark.

Brooklyn’s quick spurt was initiated by Kevin Durant, who drilled a 3-pointer late in the clock off of a pass from James Harden. Boston then turned it over at the other end, which led to a wide-open transition 3-pointer for Kyrie Irving. His triple forced the C’s to call a timeout at the 7:18 mark, but the game had already gotten away from them.

The Nets smelled blood in the water at that point and put Boston away by pulling ahead by 22 points late in the fourth before closing out a 123-109 victory.

Key Player

Sure, the Celtics fell short during their series against the Brooklyn Nets, but Jayson Tatum shined like a superstar while taking on three of the biggest stars in the game.

Boston’s young gem capped his series with 32 points during Game 5, giving him his third consecutive effort of at least 32 points. He finished the series by scoring 122 points over the final three contests, for an average of 40.7 points per game. His final scoring average for the series was 30.6 PPG, which was second only to future Hall-of-Gamer Kevin Durant’s average of 32.6 PPG.

Tatum also finished the contest tied for the team high in rebounds with nine, all while contributing five assists and two blocked shots. He shot 12-for-27 from the field, 4-for-11 from long distance and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.

Box Score Nuggets

  • Four of Boston's five starters scored at least 14 points, led by 32 from Jayson Tatum.
  • James Harden logged a triple-double of 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
  • The C's managed to shoot only 43.5 percent from the field.
  • Boston tallied only 18 assists, compared to Brooklyn's 26.
  • Jabari Parker led all reserves with 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting.
  • Tatum led the Celtics in points (32) and assists (five) outright, and tied for the team lead in rebounds with nine.
  • Tristan Thompson blocked a game-high four shots.
  • Boston shot just 11-for-40 (27.5 percent) from the field.
  • Kyrie Irving missed two free throws after making his first 20 of the postseason.
  • Romeo Langford played well in his second career playoff start, tallying 17 points, two assists, two steals, two blocks and one rebound.
  • Irving finished with a game-high plus/minus rating of plus-23.
  • Both teams scored 50 or more points in the paint.

Quote of the Night

Evan Fournier on the Celtics organization