The Boston Celtics were outclassed by the Brooklyn Nets in Tuesday night's Game 2.
The C's offense struggled mightily out the gate while Brooklyn went off for 40 points in the first quarter. The Nets took a 24-point lead into the second half and didn't look back as they cruised to a 130-108 victory.
Highlights: Nets add insult to injury in win over C's
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SIGN UP HERE Boston now finds itself down 2-0 in the series heading into Game 3 at TD Garden on Friday night.
Here are three quick takeaways from the Celtics' loss:
Another rough night for Jayson Tatum
Tatum couldn't get his shots to fall in the second half of Game 1, and his woes carried over into Game 2. He was an abysmal 3-for-12 from the field and tallied only nine points before exiting with an eye injury in the third quarter. In Games 1 and 2 combined, Tatum hit only nine of his 32 shots (28%).
Tatum was -28 for the game. Not the number you want to see next to your star player on the box score.
It goes without saying, but the Celtics need Tatum to return to All-Star form if they're even going to make this series competitive. They'll have a chance to steal a game or two at home on Friday and Sunday. Assuming Tatum is available, he'll need to be at his best. Otherwise, fans at TD Garden (which will be at near full capacity Sunday) won't have much to cheer about.
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Joe Harris gives Celtics a harsh reminder
The "Big Three" of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving did most of the damage in Game 1, combining for 82 of the team's 104 points.
So as long as the Celtics limit those guys, they'll be in great shape... right?
Not exactly.
Sharpshooter Joe Harris scorched the Celtics with 16 points in the first quarter. He ended up with 22 points (six 3-pointers) in the first half to spark Brooklyn's offense.
Harris reminded the C's that he can punish them if they focus too much on limiting just the "Big Three." When left open, Harris is one of the games deadliest shooters from beyond the arc.
He finished with 25 points. Durant, Harden, and Irving had 26, 20 and 15, respectively.
At least Evan Fournier showed some fire
As soon as Harris started draining his 3s and the Nets gained a double-digit lead, the Celtics looked lifeless. Then Tatum went down with an injury early in the third quarter, and they looked ready to hop onto the next flight to Boston.
The only real fire shown in the loss came courtesy of Evan Fournier. Later on in the third quarter, Fournier had some words for Durant and the two had to be separated.
A refreshing sight during a very forgettable game.
Fournier tallied 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
