How To Watch Celtics at Nets Game 3 On Saturday
The Brooklyn Nets versus the Boston Celtics may be the best first-round matchup in the NBA Playoffs this year and the first two games of this series in Boston have been pure chaos.
Game 1 ended on a buzzer-beating layup by Jayson Tatum to win the game for the Celtics and in Game 2, the Celtics completed a 24-point turnaround to win 114-107 and take a 2-0 series lead heading into Brooklyn.
The Celtics trailed 65-55 at the half in a game that Brooklyn led the entire first-half and in the third quarter, Boston began to chisel their way back into the game.
Boston tied the game at one point in the third quarter and then in the fourth quarter, the Celtics’ defense showed up to close out the game. Outscoring the Nets 29-17 in the fourth and not letting either Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving get off a good look, the Celtics defense propelled them to a massive come from behind victory.
Seven of the eight players that checked into the game for Boston scored at least 10 points and perhaps the biggest and most unexpected contributions came from Payton Pritchard, who scored 10 points on 5-7 shooting off-the-bench.
Brooklyn now has their backs up against the wall heading into Game 3, a game that the Nets desperately need to win in order to keep their hopes alive in this series.
Winning four out of six games against the Boston Celtics is going to be extremely tough, especially given how strong of a defensive team they are, but if there is one team in this league that can do it, it is the Nets led by Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
Will Brooklyn finally get a win in this series on Saturday?
Here's how to watch Saturday’s game, with gametimes and TV, lineups, bios and other must-know details.
How to watch Celtics vs. Nets
- WHO: Boston Celtics (2-0) vs. Brooklyn Nets (0-2)
- WHAT: First Round Eastern Conference Playoffs - Game 3 (Celtics lead 2-0)
- WHEN: 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, April 23
- WHERE: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
- TV: ESPN
- Stream: Fubo.tv CLICK HERE
Key Stats & Facts For Celtics vs. Nets
- The Nets and Celtics faced off four times during the regular season with Boston winning three games by an average of 18.0 points.
- The Celtics finished the regular season ranking second in defensive rating and first in points allowed per game (104.5), while the Nets finished the regular season ranking eleventh in offensive rating and ninth in points per game (112.9).
- Brooklyn is 21-21 at home this season, including the play-in tournament, and Boston is 23-18 on the road.
- Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have been one of the best scoring duos in the league as of late, combining to average 58.5 points per game over the Nets’ last ten games.
What Happened In Game 2?
April 17, 2022 - Celtics 114, Nets 107
After trailing by as many as 17 points at one point, the Celtics outscored the Nets 59-42 and they held Brooklyn to just 17 points in the fourth quarter to complete a 24-point turnaround. Jaylen Brown finished as the leading scorer for the Celtics with 22 points, as Boston shot 39-75 (52%) from the floor. The Celtics also outscored the Nets 44-34 in the paint, which proved to be the difference in this game.
Key Stats From Game 2:
- Brooklyn went 10-21 (47.6%) and Boston went 11-31 (35.5%) from three-point range in Game 2.
- The Nets turned the ball over 14 times, resulting in 19 points for the Celtics. Boston turned the ball over 14 times that resulted in 8 points for Brooklyn.
- The Celtics recorded 27 assists on a total of 39 made shots (69.2%), whereas the Nets recorded 16 assists on 35 made shots (45.7%).
Latest Injury News:
Nets: Ben Simmons (back) - OUT, Joe Harris (ankle) - OUT, Blake Griffin (ankle) - QUESTIONABLE
Celtics: Robert Williams (knee) - QUESTIONABLE
Projected Starters:
PROJECTED CELTICS STARTERS:
- G Marcus Smart, 6-3 guard: 12.1 points, 5.9 assists
- G/F Jaylen Brown, 6-6 guard/forward: 23.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists
- F Jayson Tatum, 6-8 forward: 26.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists
- F Al Horford, 6-9 forward: 10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists
- C Robert Williams III (Q), 6-8 center: 8.2 points, 4.9 rebounds
PROJECTED NETS STARTERS:
- G Kyrie Irving, 6-2 guard: 27.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists
- G Seth Curry, 6-2 guard: 15.0 points, 3.6 assists
- F Bruce Brown, 6-4 forward: 9.0 points, 4.8 rebounds
- F Kevin Durant, 6-10 forward: 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists
- C Andre Drummond, 6-10 center: 10.0 points, 9.6 rebounds
Betting Odds:
- The Nets are currently 3-point favorites over the Celtics as of Saturday morning.
- The over/under for this matchup is currently set at 223 total points.
What to watch for:
- The Boston Celtics have made the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons now, but they have not advanced to the NBA Finals since 2010.
- Jayson Tatum has proven to be one of the best offensive weapons in the league this year, averaging 26.9 points per game during the regular season (7th in the NBA) and scoring at least 30 points in 7 of his last 12 games.
- Boston is 43-13 this season when they hold their opponents to 110 points or less. The Nets are 38-13 this season when they score at least 110 points, including the postseason.
- The Nets and Celtics have played a total of 17 playoff games and three playoff series all-time. Brooklyn is 12-5 against Boston in the playoffs, including this year, and have won all three playoff series against the Celtics.
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