How Grant Williams made Celtics history with great Game 2 performance

Share

The Boston Celtics' bench was outplayed in Game 1 of their first-round NBA playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets, but the tide turned in Wednesday night's Game 2 at TD Garden.

The biggest factor in that turnaround for Boston was the play of Grant Williams, who excelled at both ends of the court as the Celtics took a 2-0 series lead with a 114-107 win.

Williams scored 17 points on just four shots, while grabbing six rebounds. He also didn't miss a single shot, hitting all four of his field goal attempts and all six of his attempts from the free throw line.

The 23-year-old forward's perfect shooting night helped him make Celtics history, accomplishing a feat matched only by Don Nelson during Boston's 1974 championship season.

Williams didn't just provide much-needed scoring off the bench.

His individual defense was fantastic, too. He blocked two shots, including this one on Bruce Brown at the end of the first quarter.

Boston's bench was outscored 30-17 in the series opener. Luckily for the Celtics, they still emerged with a 115-114 victory. The C's reserves earned a 30-26 scoring edge in Game 2, with Williams leading the way. 

The Celtics are a deeper team than the Nets, and that was evident Wednesday night. It's one reason why the Nets badly need Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to play like superstars if they're going to win this series. So far through two games that hasn't been the case.

Note: Games 2-6 of the Brooklyn Nets-Boston Celtics series will be aired exclusively on NBC Sports Boston and can also be streamed on NBCSportsBoston.com or with the MyTeams App, which you can download below.

Contact Us