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Watching the Milwaukee Bucks wipe out the Golden State Warriors in the previous game seemed to distract some of the excitement of the Brooklyn Nets’ opening night victory.
Or you might have thought …
The Nets backed up their impressive win over the Warriors by taking down the Boston Celtics at home. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were simply irresistible as Brooklyn went 2-0 through the season with a 123-95 victory.
Here are some of the takeaways from another night of Nets statement.
The destruction quarters of the All-Star duo
As is the case with any time a new superstar duo is formed, questions are asked about their ability to coexist.
Thanks to two Durant-Irving-era games in Brooklyn, those concerns were almost completely quashed, with the Nets appearing to rush through the gates.
Irving led all scorers with 37 points on the night, while Durant posted an easy 29, with neither required for over 33 minutes of field time.
37 POINTS.@kyrieirving left and set a new points record for the franchise on Christmas Day 📼 pic.twitter.com/4ooebCwUtG
– Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 26, 2020
Arguably the scariest part of dominance from the opposition’s point of view was their ability to completely dominate the game in turns, with the other happy to put their hands on the hot hand.
Let the rain, let the rain, let the rain#BrooklynTogether ▪️ @ KDTrey5 pic.twitter.com/t7j4zJCbwh
– Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 25, 2020
A 14-point second quarter for Irving was quickly followed by a 16-point explosion against Durant in the third. An explosion of this magnitude in a quarter is hard to bear. What are you supposed to do when there are two separate players doing it the same night?
Another statement was made by the Nets in this one.
Jayson Tatum and shot selection
A great streak before the NBA closed in March catapulted Jayson Tatum into the conversation as the game’s next rising superstar.
The Celtics’ clear No. 1 attacking option has had a start to the 2021 season, despite having a winning shot under his belt.
This is an after-turn .. from 27 feet. 😱
Ridiculous stuff from JT on ABC. #NBAXmas pic.twitter.com/TmZI5fCOiC
– NBA (@NBA) December 25, 2020
Tatum scored 20 points against the Nets on 9 for 22 from the field. This follows his 30-point effort against Milwaukee on a 12-for-28 shot. Overall that leaves Tatum 21-for-50 (42%) in two games and the Celtics will likely need him to see an increase in. efficiency if they want to keep pace with league contenders.
Against Brooklyn, Tatum was just 6 for 16 over a two-point distance, while against Milwaukee he struggled to finish 2 for 7 with less than seven feet from the basket. The numbers are good at a glance, but Tatum is clearly getting in shape to start the season.
Celtics shorthanded attack
The Celtics’ shorthanded offense increases the pressure on Tatum.
With Kemba Walker sidelined for the foreseeable future, Boston is losing a 20-point goalscorer per night in addition to losing Gordon Hayward to Charlotte in the offseason.
Brad Stevens attempts to start both Tristan Thompson and Daniel Theis, neither of whom can reliably deliver an offensive punch.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown pull away
| FGA for Tatum and Brown (% of team FGA) | |
| against Milwaukee | 52 (51.4%) |
| against Brooklyn | 47 (47.9%) |
Over the course of two games, the Celtics duo of Tatum and Brown combined for 99 shot attempts, or 49.8% of Boston’s total shot attempts.
Last season, the pair combined for 34.2 field goal attempts per game. The dramatic spike isn’t that unexpected given the list’s limitations, but one has to wonder how durable it is in the long run.
And after?
Both teams will have a day off before returning. Brooklyn will travel to Charlotte, while Boston will hit the road for the first time to meet Indiana.
The opinions on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs.
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