National Basketball Association

Joe Harris catches fire, Nets rout Celtics to take 2-0 series lead

Published May. 25, 2021 10:03 p.m. ET

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With two games down, it is becoming increasingly clear that the best offense in the NBA resides in Brooklyn.

The Brooklyn Nets looked every bit the part of an offensive juggernaut in a 130-108 Game 2 win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.

Here is how the Nets turned a dominant performance into a 2-0 series lead:

Key performer: Kevin Durant

It was a light day at the office for one of the NBA's greatest scorers, but that doesn't mean he wasn't effective in an easy win.

Durant poured in an efficient 26 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field, to go along with eight rebounds, five assists, and four blocks.

For the series, Durant is averaging 29 points on 49% shooting from the field and 95% shooting from the free-throw line.

Turning point: The first quarter

This game was never in doubt after a first-quarter shooting barrage in which the Nets made 6-of-8 3-point attempts.

The Nets would lead 40-26 at the end of the first period and would push the lead to 24 points with a 71-47 lead entering the half.

The Nets' lead would swell to as much as 30 points in the second half en route to a convincing win.

Wild card: Joe Harris

It might seem odd to say that the NBA's leader in 3-point percentage is a wild card, but that's the position Harris is in on a team that features three future Hall of Famers.

And with those three garnering all of the attention, Harris is going to see open shots galore. That is a nightmare for opposing defenses.

Harris got it going early, burning down the Barclays Center in the first quarter with 16 points and four made 3-pointers.

That was only the tip of the iceberg for him in Game 2, as Harris' seven made 3s tied a franchise record for a playoff game.

He would score 25 points in the game and would not even play in the fourth quarter.

Twitter's take:

Did you know?

The Nets improved to 5-0 against the Celtics this season (they swept the regular-season series 3-0). The Nets have also been up 2-0 in a best-of-seven series four times in their franchise’s history. They went on to win all four of those series, the most recent being a 4-0 sweep of the Knicks in the first round in 2004.

What's next?

The Nets have looked every bit as dominant as advertised with these first two wins in Brooklyn.

Now the Celtics will have a chance to prolong their season with the next two games taking place in Boston.

Game 3 will tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET Friday.

For more up-to-date news on all things NBA, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

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National Basketball Association

Brooklyn Nets

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