The Nets are off to the first round of the NBA Playoffs after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers, 115-108, in the Play-In Tournament.
Here are the takeaways…
– The Nets were red-hot from the get-go in this one. In the first quarter, they hit 17 of their 24 field goals, good for a 70.8 percent clip. The Cavs were in the bonus early, but only hit on five of their eight first-quarter free throws, to go along with shooting just 35 percent from the floor. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant hit all eight of their shots in the first, combining for 19 points and 10 assists. In the final 2:17 of the quarter, Brooklyn outscored Cleveland 13-3, and led 40-20 through the first 12 minutes. The Nets also had three blocks (two from Durant) and a steal in the first quarter.
– The Cavs remained abysmal from the floor in the second, hitting just seven of their first 23 shots (30.4 percent). The Nets, however, were just as bad. They took only 12 shots in the first 11 minutes of the quarter and made just three of them. But Irving stayed on another level, knocking all four of his shots in the quarter for nine more points, seven of them coming in the final 46 seconds, putting him at a perfect 9-for-9 with 20 points at half. In the quarter, both teams combined for just 40 points on 37.2 percent shooting, but because of the monstrous first quarter by the Nets, and the Cavs shooting just 21.4 percent of three and 35.4 percent from the floor in general, the Nets led 57-43 at the halfway point.
– The third was a quarter of runs. The Nets got their lead up to 22 points in the third, but Cleveland went on a 14-4 run to bring it down to 12. After Brooklyn led again by 19, Cleveland brought it back down to a dozen again. But that’s the closest the Cavs got, as the Nets finished the third quarter leading 85-73. It was a much better performance from the field for the Cavs, who shot 55.6 percent from the floor, as Brooklyn went just 11-of-23 in the third. Irving remained perfect, knocking his lone two shots of the quarter. He had 28 points and nine assists after three, while Durant dished out 11 assists through the third.
– Darius Garland scored a quick seven points to open up the fourth, and just like that, it was a six-point game. The teams traded blows for a few minutes, but Durant knocked down two jumpers to give the Nets a 10-point lead with 3:37 to go. After knocking his first 12 shots of the night, Irving finally missed, but and despite Cleveland cutting it to five really late, the Nets were able to keep their distance, and hang on to a 115-108 win. Irving finished with 34 points on 12-of-15 shooting, while Durant scored 25 points and had 11 assists.
– Andre Drummond added 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting while grabbing eight rebounds, and Bruce Brown almost had a triple-double – he had 18 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.
Highlights
What’s next
Now the seventh seed, the Nets will travel to Boston to take on the second-seeded Celtics for their first-round playoff matchup. Game 1 of the seven-game series will Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
