Nets Put Away Celtics, Focus Turns to Milwuakee

 NETS 123 - CELTICS 109 

The Brooklyn Nets wanted nothing to do with another trip to Boston. 

After Kyrie Irving faced intense scrutiny from Boston's fans, including one fan who took it upon himself to toss a bottle at the Nets star point guard, Brooklyn made it abundantly clear how they felt. Enough is enough. They said as much during the off days, and they carried it into Game 5 at the Barclays Center as they put away the Celtics 123-109. 

The Nets will face the Milwaukee Bucks beginning June 5. The Bucks have been one of the few teams to have figured out the Nets this year, having won two of three regular season meetings.

Brooklyn was powered by James Harden, who led all scorers with 34 points on a 10-for-17 shooting night, including going 10-for-11 from the free throw line.  With Brooklyn trailing 8-2 in the early going, Harden connected on back-to-back buckets to get the Nets to within 8-6 before Irving tied it on a dunk. 

The Nets would trail at several other points in the opening quarter, after Jayson Tatum nailed a three and a two-point jumper to put the Celtics up 21-19. However a Tyler Johnson three pointer and a Kevin Durant layup put the Nets up for good 24-21. They would never trail again the rest of the night. 

 

Sure, the Nets nursed a close lead, especially in the first half, but Brooklyn's ability to hit shots and sink free throws contributed to them pulling away come the third quarter. 

The Nets hit on 88 percent of their free throws and 51 percent of their shots. 

Durant contributed 24 points, while Irving tallied 25 points for the Nets. Overall, the Big Three combined for 83 of Brooklyn's 123 points.