Big 3 leads way as Nets eliminate Celtics with Game 5 win, advance to face Bucks in second round

The Nets’ Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden continued to roll as they combined for 83 points in a 123-109 victory over the Celtics in Game 5 to close out their first-round series by a 4-1 margin Tuesday night at Barclays Center.

The win sent the Nets on to a second-round matchup against the Bucks that is scheduled to begin Saturday on the Nets’ home court.

The Nets held just a seven-point lead entering the fourth quarter but opened with an 11-5 run to take a 97-84 lead with 8:36 left on a three-point play by Harden. Originally, Harden was called for an offensive foul that would have been his fifth, but Nets coach Steve Nash challenged and won a critical reversal.

The Celtics cut their deficit to eight, but the Nets responded with an 11-2 burst that began with threes by each member of the Big 3 to build a 108-91cushion that later reached as much as 22 points.

"The feeling is one of excitement to move on and to face a great challenge in Milwaukee and to get prepared and to go do it again," Nash said. "We're excited for the next step and the next challenge and James was great tonight obviously. A triple-double, controlled the game, made shots and made his teammates better. He was terrific."

Describing how the Nets took control of the game in the fourth quarter and didn’t let it slip away, Nash added, "It was nice to get that final bit of separation and effectively end the series. Proud of all the guys that put the effort in and made this go. Obviously the Big 3 were sensational but it really takes a team effort, whether the guys are in the rotation and playing their role or they're not and they're on the bench and I thought our complementary players did a great job."

Harden finished with a triple-double of 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, Irving added 25 points and Durant had 24. Jayson Tatum topped the Celtics with 32 points, and they got 18 from Evan Fournier, 17 from Romeo Langford and 14 from Marcus Smart, but they shot only 27.5% from three-point range (11 of 40).

Coming into Game 5, the Nets expressed a desire to close out the series to avoid a return trip to Boston, where Irving encountered often vulgar vitriol from the home crowd and where a fan was arrested after Game 4 and charged with assault with a deadly weapon for throwing a water bottle that narrowly missed Irving’s head as he exited the arena.

Irving downplayed his excitement about defeating the Celtics after the game, saying, "We just wanted to take it one day at a time as we develop a collective effort. We’ve made great strides in a short period of time."

The Celtics jumped to a quick 8-2 lead at the outset and the Nets missed their first four three-point attempts. But midway through the opening period, the Nets’ offense kicked into gear. They finished the quarter on a 19-8 run that included 16 combined points from the Big 3 to take a 31-24 lead.

The Nets led by as much as nine points in the second quarter, but even though they played strong first-half defense, they were unable to get significant separation and settled for a 59-51 halftime lead. At the point, the Celtics were shooting just 36.5% from the field and 23.1% from three-point range (6-of-26).

The Nets managed a 16-7 run early in the third quarter, including seven points from Durant to build a 75-61 lead. But the Celtics fought back to get as close as six points later in the period, which ended with the Nets clinging to an 86-79 edge after Tatum scored the final four points of the quarter.

But when they had to have it in the fourth quarter, the Big 3 stepped up and blew the game open with 26 fourth-quarter points. Asked about the importance of having these five games together after playing together only eight times in the regular season, Harden said, "When I first got traded here the excitement and the vision of us playing together, that’s what was missing the whole season. I think that’s what is more exciting.

"We weren’t even worried about the playoff run yet. We were just happy to be on the court together. It’s great to get one series out of the way. We’ll take tomorrow off and we’ll recoup and get ready for a tough Milwaukee team."

By Greg Logan

Gregory.Logan@newsday.comGregLogan1

Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.