NBA Playoffs: Tatum shines as Celtics complete Nets sweep

Jayson Tatum scored 29 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 4-0 series sweep of the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, eliminating them from the NBA playoffs.

Kevin Durant scored a game-high 39 points for the Nets, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Celtics’ lineup from winning 116-112 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Boston’s well-balanced offense and battle-tested defense were once again too much for Brooklyn, who trailed from tip to finish despite a late comeback attempt.

“We knew who we were facing, we knew how talented they were, and we knew it was going to be a dogfight,” said Tatum, who endured a nervous final two minutes after fouling out as the Nets chipped away at the Celtics lead.

“It was 4-0 but each game was back and forth and tough. We just believed in ourselves. We took it one game at a time and didn’t get too far ahead of ourselves,” Tatum added.

Tatum was one of five Celtics players to score in double digits, with Jaylen Brown adding 22 points and Marcus Smart contributing 20 points and 11 assists.

Grant Williams scored 14 points off the bench, including four three-pointers, while Al Horford added 13.

Seeds No. 2 In the Eastern Conference semi-finals, Boston will meet either the defending NBA champions Milwaukee or Chicago.

Given Boston’s dismal early season form, the Celtics’ clean sweep of Brooklyn – projected as a title candidate before the season – is all the more remarkable.

Boston was in ninth place in the Eastern Conference just a few months ago, well outside the automatic playoff spots.

Tatum said the Celtics had started clicking as a unit in January.

“It took us a minute, but when we got our full team, we were right there,” Tatum said. “We stayed composed, we stayed together, we didn’t lose sight of what we were trying to accomplish and we haven’t looked back since.”

Meanwhile, the Nets will start over after a season that promised so much but ended in a first-round loss from the playoffs.

While Durant had his best postseason performance, Kyrie Irving was held to to 20 points and five assists, while Seth Curry scored 23 points.

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