Brooklyn, NY — Boston, break out the brooms! The first-round series NBA fans were looking forward to the most wound up being a dominant 4-0 sweep for the Celtics.
Jayson Tatum scored 29 points and dished out five assists as his Boston Celtics defeated the Brooklyn Nets 116-112 to complete the series sweep. Tatum would foul out of the game with 2:48 remaining in the game after a controversial offensive foul and his team holding a slim 109-103 lead. His teammates would be able to weather the storm and hold on to win the game and the series.
After Tatum fouled out, Brooklyn would go on a quick 5-0 run to cut the lead to one — 109-108. Jaylen Brown would make a huge layup to extend the lead to three with 1:02 remaining.
After a few defensive stops, Kevin Durant had the chance to cut the lead to one when he went to the free-throw line with 22 seconds left. Durant would make the first but miss the second, and Boston would capitalize on the miss and push the ball down the court. Al Horford would make a layup that almost served as a dagger as the Celtics went up four — 113-109 with 14 seconds left. Durant and the Nets would be unable to rally in the late seconds as the Celtics held on to win the game and complete the sweep.
Tatum, Celtics Move On
Like the other four games of this series, Brooklyn had their chances, but the Celtics were able to make plays on both sides of the court to get the win. The Celtics swept the Nets with an average margin of victory of just +4.5. That is the third smallest margin of victory in a four-game sweep in NBA history.
The teamwork displayed by Ime Udoka’s Celtics squad is very commendable as they were able to use a next-man-up mentality when Tatum fouled out of the game. Despite their leading scorer being out of the game in crunch time, the Celtics did not panic and that is huge.
Like Tatum, Jaylen Brown was also great in Game 4. Brown scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart added 20 points, 11 assists, and five rebounds.
Tatum capped off his great series on Monday. In four games against the Nets, he scored 118 points. That’s the most points by a Celtics player in a sweep, breaking his own record set against the Philadelphia 76ers in 2020.
Nets Season Ends
This Nets team was written into the NBA Finals before the season started, much like the Los Angeles Lakers. Now they are out of the playoffs after just four games.
Kevin Durant did all he could to will the Nets to a Game 5. Durant scored 39 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out nine assists. Durant made big shots, but unfortunately not enough.
Seth Curry was Brooklyn’s second-leading scorer on Monday. Curry finished with 23 points and made 5-9 three-pointers. Kyrie Irving added 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
With the loss on Monday, The Nets are 1-8 in their last 9 playoff games dating back to Game 3 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Bucks.
