Basketball: Jayson Tatum and the Celtics make the difference

The Brooklyn Nets lost again on the Boston floor on Wednesday (114-107), for the second game of this first round of the play-offs, during an evening that saw Philadelphia win a third victory against Toronto .

Defeated by one point on Sunday (115-114), Brooklyn started the game well with a 9-0 entry and was up to 17 points ahead in the second quarter. But the Celtics, pushed by their audience, gradually picked up the score. Inside Daniel Theis (15 points in total) first equalized at 79-79 three minutes from the end of the 3rd quarter, before his team accelerated in the 4th under the impetus of Jayson Tatum (19 points , 10 assists) and Jaylen Brown (22 points, 6 assists).

“We are a physical, tough team. There is no need to send a message. That’s who we are,” commented Celtics power winger Grant Williams after the game.

Opposite, Kyrie Irving was transparent with only 10 points and little success in shooting (4/13), just like Kevin Durant (4/17), who also lost 6 balls despite his 27 points. The Nets will absolutely have to catch up at home on Saturday in Game 3.

A little later in the evening, defending champion Milwaukee was surprised at home by Chicago (114-110), which equalized with a victory everywhere in the series. The Bulls dominated this meeting head and shoulders thanks to a dazzling DeMar DeRozan, author of 41 points, his record in the play-off (at 16/31 in the shoot). Inside Nikola Vucevic added 24 points and 13 rebounds. “We were united tonight, explained DeRozan in a press conference. We talked to each other man to man, everyone had to assert themselves. And we rose to that challenge.”

On the Bucks side, Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo was omnipresent (33 points, 18 rebounds, 9 assists) but the 2019 and 2020 MVP lost two of his teammates to injury during the game. Interior Bobby Portis first came out at the end of the first quarter after a blow to the eye, before Khris Middleton (18 points) had to return to the locker room eight minutes from the end due to a knee pain.

Philadelphia won on the floor of Toronto (104-101), its third victory in a row in this series of the first round of the play-offs. But it was difficult for the Sixers who had to fight until the end of overtime to get rid of the Raptors. Joel Embiid, once again excellent (33 points, 13 rebounds), first lost the ball two seconds from the end at 101-101, before returning a winning shot on the throw-in to give the victory to his team .

“The work is not finished. Another victory. We must come back here and try to beat them again,” said the Cameroonian interior. James Harden added 19 points and 10 assists. OG Anunoby was Toronto’s leading scorer with 26 points.