Coming into the night, the first-round opponent for the Celtics in these NBA Playoffs was pencilled in, presumed.
And to the general public, all but chiselled in stone. It’s been confirmed; Boston-Brooklyn. That’s the way life goes sometimes.
In the Eastern Conference’s seventh-versus-eighth play-in game, the Nets beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-108.
To punch their ticket to the playoffs and set up a first-round showdown with the second-seeded Boston Celtics.
Kyrie Irving, a former Celtic, scored 34 points on 12-of-15 shooting, including a perfect first 12 minutes in which he made all of his attempts.
With 12 assists, he further demonstrated his importance to the Nets’ home court. Of course, Irving was just recently given the green light to play home games despite his continued lack of COVID-19 vaccination.
Although Kevin Durant contributed 25 points and 11 assists, the night belonged to Bruce Brown. He had a team-high 18 points, eight assists, and nine rebounds, matching Nic Claxton’s output.
The Brooklyn Nets Secured the No. 7 Seed
On Tuesday night, the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-108 to earn the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference and a matchup with the No. 2 Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
Kyrie Irving scored 34 points for Brooklyn, including 20 on 9-for-9 shooting in the first half. Kevin Durant contributed 25 points and 11 assists.
The Nets jumped out to a 40-20 lead after the first quarter, but the Cavaliers were not going away quietly because to All-Star Darius Garland’s 34 points.
The winner of the play-in game between the Charlotte Hornets and the Atlanta Hawks will meet the Cavaliers for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff place.
This season, Cleveland is 2-2 against Charlotte and 1-3 against Atlanta. The Nets will be playing the Celtics, a team against whom they have lost three consecutive games.
Conclusion
In spite of the fact that the Cavaliers were not expected to make the playoffs, they have a respectable 8-5 record after 13 games this season.
Former All-Star Kevin Love, though, will not be playing on Saturday due to precautionary measures.