Final: Celtics 109, Nets 98 - Bench, role players step up for big win

Game 43: Celtics (-1.5) vs Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m., NBCS Boston/TNT

Injuries: 

Boston: Danilo Gallinari, Al Horford (low back-to-back soreness), Jaylen Brown (groin)

Brooklyn: Kevin Durant (knee)

Nets: Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, Nic Claxton, Royce O’Neale, Joe Harris

Refs: James Williams (#60), Curtis Blair (#74), Natalie Sago (#9)

Last time they played: Celtics 103, Nets 92, December 4 - The Nets stormed out to an 11-2 lead but were rebuffed by a 14-0 Celtics run that gave Boston a lead they’d work with all night long. Jaylen Brown scored 20 first-quarter points to pace the Celtics, Jayson Tatum added 11 in the second quarter to give Boston a comfortable lead. The second half was a 180, with both teams barely able to score and devolving into iso ball. The Celtics woke up midway through the fourth and rode Tatum's closing kick to the win. 

A little something about this game: Brown led the Celtics with 34 points against Brooklyn last month, so losing him definitely stings. Before the game, Joe Mazzulla said Brown will be out “probably a week or two." This is only Brooklyn’s second game without Durant, who suffered an MCL sprain against Miami. Brooklyn went on a 12 game winning streak to vault into second in the East. They’ve won 18 of their last 20 games. The Celtics are 6-0 on the back end of back-to-backs this season  

How the Celtics win: Run! The Nets will turn the ball over, and without Durant to keep them close, getting some easy buckets early will make it tough on Brooklyn to catch back up. With Brown gone, we can expect a lot of trapping and blitzing of Tatum, so good ball movement after he gives it up will be important. 

One play I’m watching for is a spin on their Spain pick-and-roll. Run it with Tatum as the ball handler, Rob as the screener, and Malcolm Brogdon or Derrick White as the second screener. If Brooklyn is selling out on the pick-and-roll, then bait them into a blitz, but set the pick really high. That gives time for Rob to get behind the defense while the ball gets to Brogdon or White. They can toss the quick lob, or hit Rob in the paint where he’ll have options to score or kick to open corner shooters. 

Defensively, stay home on the shooters. Let Kyrie Irving go for 50 if he wants. Don’t worry about doubling him. 

How the Nets win: Go zone, hide Irving and let him rest for the offensive side of the ball, and hope the Celtics get baited into settling for 3-pointers on the back-to-back. Dare Boston to shoot it by packing the paint and encouraging the ball to stay out on the perimeter. Limit Tatum’s free throws that way and the Nets will give themselves a great chance. 

Things I’m looking for:

Nets flaws unmasked: Durant was playing some of the best basketball of his life before the injury. He hits shots at such a ridiculous rate that he bails the Nets out often. They might be able to figure out how to live without him eventually, but day one of losing their binky might cause some problems. The Celtics need to ramp up the defensive intensity and hope the Nets get flustered. 

Superhero Kyrie: He’ll relish the opportunity to try to beat his former team, a team against which he seems to hold a grudge for some reason. He could get hot and it might be too much to overcome … OR … he could dominate the offense and score a bunch of points and everyone else can go cold watching him. Stay home on everyone else and let him punch himself out trying to dribble his way through everyone. Maybe Robert Wiliams can even change a shot or two. 

Follow along below or in the comments during the game, chime in, and let’s have fun.