On Wednesday, Jayson Tatum came out of a shooting slump, which could hurt the Brooklyn Nets when they play the Boston Celtics on Friday night.
Tatum scored 41 points in a 117-113 victory over Cleveland, following two subpar performances since the All-Star break. In addition, he had eight assists and 11 rebounds in the victory, which came just two days after Boston’s 109-94 loss to New York.
In Boston’s three games since the All-Star break, Tatum shot 36.6% from the field and 24% from behind the 3-point arc, leading up to the Cavaliers game on Wednesday. In the game against Cleveland, he shot 13 of 21, including 4 of 6 attempts from behind the 3-point arc.
Tatum is averaging 30.3 points per game going into Friday’s game.
Against the Cavaliers, Al Horford made six 3-pointers, matching his career high.
Since trading Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, the Nets, on the other hand, have been moving in the wrong direction. In the first half of Wednesday’s 142-118 defeat to New York, Brooklyn allowed 81 points. The team’s four-game losing streak was extended by that setback.
Brooklyn is 7-18 in its last 25 games and has lost six of its last seven. The Nets—whether from Brooklyn or New Jersey—have never allowed more than 81 points in a halftime period than the Knicks did.
In 12 of the team’s 16 quarters played since the All-Star break, Brooklyn has allowed at least 30 points.
Ben Simmons won’t be able to play against the Celtics because of soreness in his knee, according to Brooklyn coach Jacque Vaughn.
