Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets Date and Time: Tuesday, May 25,2021 7:30 PM ET Venue: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY. Prediction: Brooklyn Nets Bookmaker: 1xbet
On Tuesday in the second game of their 2020-21 NBA playoff first-round bout, NBA title hopefuls Brooklyn Nets will take on the Boston Celtics at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Nets overcame a shaky start to produce a comfortable 104-93 victory against the Celtics in Game 1.
The Brooklyn Nets finished second in the Eastern Conference, despite their three superstars not playing enough games together. However, the trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving got going in the second half of Game 1 to lead their team to victory.
Meanwhile, the absence of Jaylen Brown was apparent for the Boston Celtics, as Jayson Tatum only converted six of his 20 shots and did not get easy looks all night. Tatum did convert nine of his 11 free-throw attempts to top-score for his team with 22 points. The Boston Celtics’ best shooter on the night was Robert Williams, who registered 11 points and converted five of his eight 2-point attempts.
The Boston Celtics started Game 1 of their playoff series brightly, with Tatum going for 15 points in the first half. Marcus Smart added a further 11 as the Celtics went into half-time with a six-point lead.
The second half saw the Nets superstars dominate proceedings as the Boston Celtics struggled in ball movement and high-percentage chances for their best players.
After a slow first half, the Brooklyn Nets dominated in the second half. Kyrie Irving, Harden and Durant combined for 49 points in the final two quarters, with Irving converting seven of his ten 2-point attempts.
The Brooklyn Nets did not have the most comfortable of nights offensively, as they missed easy shots in the first two quarters and were poor from the 3-point zone. Overall, the Nets converted just eight of their 34 attempts from beyond the arc, something they’ll look to rectify in Game 2.
The Boston Celtics will need to show huge improvement in multiple areas to compete with the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets looked good defensively and have an elite offence capable of hurting the Celtics. The Celtics looked poor in their ball movement in the first game, squandering possession too many times.
Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker will need to produce better shooting performances. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets will look to start quickly in Game 2 and are the favorites to go 2-0 up in the series.
