National Basketball Association
Brooklyn 130, Boston 108
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, May 25, 2021
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Officials: #19 James Capers, #41 Ken Mauer, #33 Sean Corbin, #7 Lauren Holtkamp
Attendance: 14774

Kevin Durant scored 26 points and Joe Harris added 25 as the Brooklyn Nets seized control early and cruised to a 130-108 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

The second-seeded Nets lead the series 2-0 with Game 3 on Friday in Boston.

Durant added eight rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots and made 8 of 12 shots as the Nets shot 52.3 percent and hit 17 3-pointers. The sharp-shooting Nets missed only one free throw, going 21-for-22 in the victory.

Harris hit seven of 10 3-point tries to tie the franchise record for 3-pointers in a playoff game set by Deron Williams in 2015.

James Harden contributed 20 points and seven of Brooklyn's 31 assists. Former Celtic Kyrie Irving finished with 15 and Blake Griffin chipped in 11 as no Brooklyn starter played more than 29 minutes.

Marcus Smart led the Celtics with 19 points, including five 3-pointers, and Kemba Walker added 17. Evan Fournier contributed 16 points and Tristan Thompson finished with 15 and 11 boards as Boston shot 42.4 percent and allowed 26 points off 17 turnovers.

The Celtics received a quiet game from Jayson Tatum, who was held to nine points on 3-for-12 shooting. He is shooting 9 of 32 from the field in the series and exited after getting poked in the right eye during the third quarter.

After a sluggish start to their 104-93 win in Game 1 on Saturday, the Nets dominated from the outset and led by double digits for the final 37:10.

Brooklyn took control by ripping off 15 straight points in a span of 2:57 to take a 29-13 lead on a 20-footer by Jeff Green with 4:57 remaining. Green's shot occurred after Harris hit three 3-pointers in a span of 59 seconds and the run helped the Nets get a 40-26 lead through the opening quarter.

Harden's four-point play gave the Nets their first 20-point lead less than two minutes into the second. When Harris hit his sixth 3-pointer, Brooklyn held a 61-36 lead at the 4:59 mark and it took a 71-47 lead by halftime.

Harris made his seventh 3-pointer midway through the third and Brooklyn held a 109-82 lead into the final period.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Boston   Brooklyn
Marcus Smart 19 Scoring Kevin Durant 26
Kemba Walker 7 Assists James Harden 7
Tristan Thompson 11 Rebounds Bruce Brown 8
Kemba Walker 7 Free Throws Made Kevin Durant 8
Evan Fournier 2 Steals Joe Harris 2
Jayson Tatum 2 Blocks Kevin Durant 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Boston 108 42.4 12-34 18-23 23 43 4 10 17
Brooklyn 130 52.3 17-38 21-22 31 46 7 7 17
Upcoming Games
  • Brooklyn will play their next game on the road against Boston. The Nets have a W/L % of .688 after a win and .625 after a loss.
  • Boston will play their next game at home against Brooklyn. The Celtics have a W/L % of .472 after a win and .528 after a loss.