Celtics vs Nets

The Boston Celtics return to action against Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets in Game 2 of their 2022 NBA Playoffs series at the TD Garden.

The Sixers took a total of 30 free throws in Game 2. After shooting 4 of 13 and committing seven turnovers in Game 1, Middleton is due for a bounce-back performance. PRESSURE IS ON: Durant. Boston showed the All-Star various looks in Game 1, contributing to him shooting just 9 of 24 from the field, with four turnovers. He made 12 of 14 free throws in Game 2. The Bucks didn’t pull ahead for good until 5:03 remained in the game. Wednesday’s game will start at 7 p.m. from TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The game will air on TV via NBC Sports Boston in New England and TNT nationally. fuboTV - If you have cable and live in New England, you can use your login credentials to watch the game via NBC Sports. If you don’t have cable, you can stream the game on smart TVs and streaming devices via Sling and fuboTV, which has a free trial. But his comments after the series opener will almost certainly ratchet up the level of disdain he hears from Celtics fans going forward. That’s just the nature of the beast now.” Boston played great defense, but Irving got loose late, scoring 18 points in the fourth quarter. It earned him a $50,000 fine from the league on Tuesday. However, Kevin Durant, Irving and the Nets will be looking to rebound and even the series.

Marcus Smart showed up at TD Garden wearing a "DPOY" robe ahead of Wednesday night's Celtics-Nets Game 2.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. right here on NBC Sports Boston. Coverage begins at 6 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live. It's a good thing Smart is dressed for a heavyweight bout, because that's exactly what the C's can expect vs. The longest-tenured Celtic also assisted on Jayson Tatum's game-winning buzzer-beater in Sunday's Game 1.

Boston won Game 1 with a Jayson Tatum layup at the buzzer.

The Nets nearly won Game 1 despite Durant having a subpar performance, and three out of their five starters failing to score in double figures. Durant is likely to have a bounce back performance in Game 2, plus the Nets should be motivated not to fall behind by two games. Four out of the Celtics' five starters -- Tatum, Brown, Smart and Horford -- scored 20-plus points in the first game, and they did a lot of damage in the paint specifically. Another storyline to keep an eye on with the Nets is Kyrie Irving, who was just fined $50,000 by the NBA for flipping off Boston fans during Game 1. It was a back-and-forth battle that culminated with Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum converting a layup off of a pass from Marcus Smart as time expired to propel Boston to a 115-114 victory and a 1-0 lead in the series. It will be tough for Game 2 to match Game 1 in terms of excitement, but we can certainly hope that it does.

Will Jaylen Brown outscore Kyrie Irving in Game 2? Make your predictions for the game here and see if other fans agree with your picks!

Wednesday’s game will begin at 7 p.m. ET on TNT. You can see our prediction and best bet for the game here. Before the game tips off, make your picks on the top prop bets for the Celtics-Nets showdown at TD Garden. Boston’s first-round series with the Brooklyn Nets will continue on Wednesday night as Jayson Tatum and the Celtics look to take a 2-0 lead before heading to Brooklyn.

Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets figured to be one of the best first-round NBA playoff series, and Game 1 of this unique No. 2 vs. No. 7 matchup lived up to the ...

Does that mean Irving continues to interact with the crowd in Game 2? Boston wouldn't have won Game 1 if it didn't put the clamps on Kevin Durant, who shot 37.5% from the floor, hit 1 of 5 3-pointers and committed six turnovers. Irving was fined $50,000 on Tuesday for making obscene gestures toward the crowd in Game 1. The Celtics take a 1-0 series lead into Wednesday's Game 2 at TD Garden, but extending that lead won't be easy. Start Time: Celtics Pregame Live begins on NBC Sports Boston at 6 p.m. ET. Celtics vs. No. 7 matchup lived up to the hype Sunday.

The Celtics aim to win the first two games of a first-round playoff series for the fourth time in five seasons. Last year, they were overmatched against ...

"We had the game in control then a last-second shot beats us." Especially in the first game of a series," Tatum said. A buzzer-beater in a playoff game at home." Instead of shooting, Smart waited for Brooklyn's Bruce Brown to leave his feet and spotted a cutting Tatum going by Irving for the game-winner at the horn. They played a rotating double team on Irving deep in the post and then Tatum bottled up Durant to force a missed 3-pointer. Last year, they were overmatched against Brooklyn's star trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving and lost the first-round series in five games.

Jaylen Brown scored a team high 22 points, Jayson Tatum produced 19, and the Celtics outscored the Nets 59-42 in the second half to take a 2-0 series lead.

Instead, Bruce Brown, who they didn't box out, secured it and swung the ball to Patty Mills for a three as part of a 7-0 run by the Nets that gave them an 88-81 lead with 1:18 remaining. But after that, as the shot clock expired, Smart banked in a bucket that put Boston up by ten with 1:09 to play. It also felt as if, in an effort to get Durant going, the offense often worked away from Irving. Tatum scored 19, and despite that coming on 5/16 shooting, he generated seven points at the line, and dished out a game-high ten assists. But Boston received a needed infusion of energy from newly minted Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart, who went on a 6-0 run in 40 seconds, including drilling a corner three and breaking to the cup for a layup after an errant pass from Bruce Brown went out of bounds. Brooklyn countered with a corner three from Brown, but didn't apply much pressure or foul to stop the clock, surrendering another layup to Pritchard, this one over Durant. And with Boston continuing to attack the paint, the lead continued shrinking. But the Celtics' lack of ball movement and drives into the paint often led to them settling for one mediocre shot, which also gave Brooklyn more opportunities against a defense trying to get set in transition. Williams opened the second frame with a three from the left-wing, scoring Boston's last 11 points. They finished the quarter with a cumulative total of 16 in a period that lasted about 45 minutes. Grant Williams capped the quarter with a corner three, followed by one from above the break, then blocked Bruce Brown's shot at the buzzer. At the other end, turnovers played a role in the Celtics' offense having trouble igniting, committing two within the first 2:30. But Boston's defense then pressured Brooklyn into coughing the ball up on consecutive possessions, followed by Al Horford blocking a Kevin Durant pull-up jumper.

The Boston Celtics take a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Brooklyn Nets after grinding out a 114-107 win Wednesday night. Boston's defense was the ...

That's not going to get it done against the Celtics, and Brooklyn will have to hope that Irving can get going in Game 3, because if Boston puts the clamps on Durant again, it'll need Irving to step up. The Celtics are going to continue to swarm Durant every trip down the floor, and Irving needs to be able to pick up the slack when that happens. He impacted the game with his passing in the first half, then began to take over down the stretch with his scoring to help Boston pull out a win. He wasn't attacking the rim as much, or creating opportunities for his teammates, and instead was forcing a couple shots and became a non-factor in the fourth quarter as he went 1 of 4 for just two points in the final 12 minutes of the game. The Nets can't afford for Irving to have an off night because they don't have the depth where they can rely on guys when the stars are feeling defensive pressure. In the first quarter he and Daniel Theis were the only two players on the Celtics who could get anything going on offense, and kept the game within reach as Brooklyn came out of the gates attacking. This is without a doubt the best any team has ever defended Durant, and it's going to force Brooklyn to adjust for the rest of the series to try and figure out a way to get him better opportunities. K.D. finished with 27 points, but he went just 4 of 17 from the field, and if it weren't for the 18 points at the free throw line he would've had just nine points in the game. The series will now shift to Brooklyn for the next two games, as the Nets try and get back in this series against a dominant Boston team. The Celtics weren't allowing any breathing room for Durant to do anything on offense, and it didn't matter who was in front of him either. The Boston Celtics take a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Brooklyn Nets after grinding out a 114-107 win Wednesday night. Durant has built a legacy off being one of the most difficult players in NBA history to guard.

Marcus Smart showed up at TD Garden wearing a "DPOY" robe ahead of Wednesday night's Celtics-Nets Game 2.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. right here on NBC Sports Boston. Coverage begins at 6 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live. It's a good thing Smart is dressed for a heavyweight bout, because that's exactly what the C's can expect vs. The longest-tenured Celtic also assisted on Jayson Tatum's game-winning buzzer-beater in Sunday's Game 1.

Mike Krzyzewski is attendance at Wednesday's game between the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics.

- CAN KRISTAPS STILL BE AN ALL-STAR? Ben Stinar and Haley Jordan sat down to talk about Washington Wizards star Kristaps Porzingis in a recent episode of Stinar For 3. - KEMBA WALKER CAN STILL HELP A CONTENDING TEAM: Kemba Walker's tenure with the New York Knicks appears to have ended. Mike Krzyzewski is attendance at Wednesday's game between the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics.

How important is Game 2 for the Celtics? Here are a couple stats that tell the story: Teams that win the first two games of a best-of-seven series go on to win ...

The Celtics, as noted above, have been nearly unbeatable in their history when leading a playoff series 2-0. The odds the Nets pulling off that feat are pretty slim, especially when you look at how poorly they defend, plus the fact Brooklyn doesn't have homecourt advantage. - Teams that win the first two games of a best-of-seven series go on to win the series 92.4% of the time (302-25).

Brown and Tatum led in the scoring column and had their moments in the fourth quarter, but Boston doesn't win this game without the big man trio of Al ...

Durant wasn't the only Nets star to have a rough night. He scored 11 straight Celtics points and finished with 17 off the bench (3-3 3-PT) to go with six rebounds. In Games 1 and 2 combined, KD is 13-41 (31.7%) from the floor with 12 turnovers. After a slow start, Jaylen Brown bounced back to score 10 of his team-high 22 points in the fourth. He was the only C's starter without a turnover. Seven Celtics scored in double figures as Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum led the way with 22 and 19 points, respectively.

The Boston Celtics take a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Brooklyn Nets after grinding out a 114-107 win Wednesday night. Boston's defense was the ...

That's not going to get it done against the Celtics, and Brooklyn will have to hope that Irving can get going in Game 3, because if Boston puts the clamps on Durant again, it'll need Irving to step up. The Celtics are going to continue to swarm Durant every trip down the floor, and Irving needs to be able to pick up the slack when that happens. He impacted the game with his passing in the first half, then began to take over down the stretch with his scoring to help Boston pull out a win. He wasn't attacking the rim as much, or creating opportunities for his teammates, and instead was forcing a couple shots and became a non-factor in the fourth quarter as he went 1 of 4 for just two points in the final 12 minutes of the game. The Nets can't afford for Irving to have an off night because they don't have the depth where they can rely on guys when the stars are feeling defensive pressure. In the first quarter he and Daniel Theis were the only two players on the Celtics who could get anything going on offense, and kept the game within reach as Brooklyn came out of the gates attacking. This is without a doubt the best any team has ever defended Durant, and it's going to force Brooklyn to adjust for the rest of the series to try and figure out a way to get him better opportunities. K.D. finished with 27 points, but he went just 4 of 17 from the field, and if it weren't for the 18 points at the free throw line he would've had just nine points in the game. The series will now shift to Brooklyn for the next two games, as the Nets try and get back in this series against a dominant Boston team. The Celtics weren't allowing any breathing room for Durant to do anything on offense, and it didn't matter who was in front of him either. The Boston Celtics take a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Brooklyn Nets after grinding out a 114-107 win Wednesday night. Durant has built a legacy off being one of the most difficult players in NBA history to guard.

The Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets face off on Saturday at Barclays Center in Game 3 of their NBA Playoffs series.

Nets vs. Pelicans vs. - Hawks vs. Timberwolves vs. Nuggets vs. Raptors vs. Pelicans vs. - Hawks vs. Nets vs. Jazz vs. Raptors vs. Bulls vs.