TIP OFF: 7:30 p.m. @ Barclays Center
RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub
TV: TNT
Predicted Starting Lineups
Celtics
G: Marcus Smart
G: Romeo Langford
SF: Evan Fournier
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Tristan Thompson
Nets
G: Kyrie Irving
G: James Harden
SF: Joe Harris
PF: Kevin Durant
C: Blake Griffin
Live coverage, by John Karalis
Fourth quarter
- Jayson Tatum got about 15 seconds of rest before going back in. It's a 10 point game and Brooklyn seems ripe for giving up the lead. Boston just doesn't have the guys to take advantage right now.
- The overturned offensive foul call on Harden is like overturned offensive foul call on Durant from Game 3. Just ridiculous
- The Celtics had it to 8 and then Brooklyn got back-to-back 3's from Durant and Irving. Boston works hard to keep it close, and then Brooklyn keeps responding.
- Harden added a 3 to make it an 11-2 run. He also has a 31 point triple-double
- It's a barrage now. It went from an 8 point game to a 22 point game in a blink. Goodnight everyone.
Third quarter
- Brooklyn sort of casually extending their lead. Everything about this game from their end feels casual. No juice to this game at all, it seems.
- The Celtics are able to get to just about everywhere they want, but they miss. Brooklyn gets to where they want and they either make shots or get to the line.
- Give the Celtics credit, they're hanging tough. Tatum is having a rough shooting night (6-18 with 4:21) to go, and if he can get it together, Boston has a real chance to steal one here from a lackadaisical Nets team.
- Langford is getting a ton of open shots. He's a big reason why this is still close. He's now 5-10 from the field and 3-7 from 3.
Second quarter
- Boston starts the second with Payton Pritchard, Romeo Langford, Grant Williams, Jabari Parker, and Evan Fournier, and they did OK to start. They cut the lead to 3 over the first 2:30 of the quarter
- The Nets got a banked-in 3 from Landry Shamet and then a Shamet dunk in transition to quickly make it 8
- Nice response by Pritchard and Langford. Pritchard hit a 3, Langford blocked a shot, and then Pritchard found Parker for 3
- The Celtics are making a few too many mistakes losing shooters and they're paying for it
- Jabari Parker has been hitting a bunch of shots. Some fortuitous, some just nice makes, and it's keeping Boston close so far. But then he missed a wide open Tatum and blew a defensive coverage, and Brooklyn ended up, ultimately, adding to their lead.
First quarter
- Celtics opened on an 8-2 run, mostly by attacking Blake Griffin. Everyone who tried to drive on him got by him.
- Brooklyn answered with 6 straight. The Celtics were very careful not to foul Harden on drives.
- Marcus Smart is starting out really cold. He's missed FIVE 3-pointers already, all of them short.
- The Celtics started missing some shots, and Brooklyn was playing some decent defense, and they went off on a 16-4 run by getting out in transition.
- Harden and Irving combined for 20 points in the quarter
Preview by Jack Simone, CLNS Media
The Celtics (36-36, 34-38 ATS) could not match the firepower of the Nets (48-24, 38-34 ATS) in Game 5, falling 141-126. Boston now travels to Brooklyn with the series, and their season, on the line in Game 6.
According to the online sports book Betonline.ag, the Nets are 8.5 point favorites.
- Point Spread: Nets -8.5
- Over-Under: 227 points
- Money line: Celtics +300, Nets -370
The Nets still list Jeff Green on their injury report. He continues to deal with a strained plantar fascia. Outside of Spencer Dinwiddie, Alize Johnson is the only other player listed.
Kemba Walker and Robert Williams remain listed as doubtful for Game 5. Both players did not play in Game 4, and it seems as though the same will be said for tonight’s game.
Player Stats
Brooklyn’s big three carried the load in Game 4, scoring 105 of the Nets’ 141 points. Kevin Durant led the way with 42 points, while Kyrie Irving scored 39 in the midst of constant boos from the crowd. Meanwhile, James Harden set his personal best for assists in a playoff game (18) and landed himself second in franchise history for that mark.
Unlike in Game 3, however, the Nets did get some help from their supporting cast. Joe Harris and Bruce Brown finished with 14 apiece. Harris shot 5-9 (55.6%) from the field and 4-5 (80.0%) from deep, while Brown shot 6-10 (60.0%) on the night. Landry Shamet (6), Tyler Johnson (2), and Blake Griffin (2) also combined to shoot 4-8 (50.0%) from the field.
As for the Celtics, they got little production outside of Jayson Tatum. Tatum scored 40 points in Game 4 on 10-22 (45.5%) FG and 3-7 (42.9%) 3PT. He also got to the free-throw line 17 times, knocking down every shot. No other player cracked 20 points.
Marcus Smart and Evan Fournier followed Tatum up in the scoring column with 16 apiece. However, they shot an inefficient 9-27 (33.3%) from the field combined. Past that, three bench players tallied the next most points. Payton Pritchard (12), Aaron Nesmith (11), and Jabari Parker (10) shot 13-20 (65.0%) FG as a collective.
Team Stats
Brooklyn poured on the points in Game 5, scoring 141 on extremely efficient shooting splits. The team passed the ball extremely well, finishing the night with 29 assists, 18 of which came from Harden alone. The true dominance of the Nets’ big three was on full display.
Although the Nets allowed 126 points, they held the Celtics to fairly average shooting splits. The big issue they ran into was fouling. Boston shot 42 free throws, knocking down 38 of them. Brooklyn had 28 fouls in Game 4, but the physicality paid off for them with a win.
The Celtics struggled to find consistent offense with both Walker and Williams sidelined. At one point, Brad Stevens was forced to play a lineup of Evan Fournier and a bunch of bench players. That allowed the Nets to really get things rolling. With Walker out, the Nets’ defense focused almost exclusively on Tatum, and it worked. He scored 40 points, but with no one else around him to help carry the load, the Celtics’ offense was doomed.
As for Boston’s defense, the big three killed them. They found no answer for Durant, Irving, or Harden all game long. Harden in particular got to the paint with no issue, as the Nets shot 15-24 (62.5%) in the restricted area. Durant and Irving shot over every defender that the Celtics sent their way. The pair combined to shoot 14-23 (60.9%) on contested jump shots in Game 4.
Summary
With their backs against the wall, Boston will need to fight tooth and nail for a victory tonight. The Nets want nothing more than to avoid playing in Boston again, especially after the water bottle incident which followed Game 4. Durant, Irving, and Harden will all be on their A-game.
Walker and Williams both remain sidelined for tonight’s contest, meaning the pressure is on Tatum once again. If the Celtics want any chance of stealing another victory, both Smart and Fournier need to be better. That being said, with the way the big three have been clicking for Brooklyn, things look bleak for the Celtics.
Nets 133, Celtics 117