This Jayson Tatum vs. Kevin Durant Stat Should Concern Nets Bettors
If Game 1 of the Brooklyn Nets-Boston Celtics was any indication of what’s to come, Kevin Durant is in for a long series.
Durant finished with 23 points on 9-for-24 shooting and only five free throw attempts. Durant was off all game, but Jayson Tatum’s defense on Durant is something he (or at least Durant bettors) will have to keep in the back of his mind.
According to NBA.com’s tracking stats, Tatum guarded Durant the most on Sunday. Tatum held him to 2-for-6 shooting, four points and four turnovers. Now, this is Kevin Durant we’re talking about so I don’t expect him to play this bad all series long. However, Tatum showed he can stay with Durant, so the UNDER on his point total is very much in play for Game 2.
The mirroring from Jayson Tatum on this stop is masterful. Sitting on all of KD's movements, never letting him get into the crossover for the pull-up, cuts off the drive to draw an offensive foul. Whew. pic.twitter.com/26XoS71B3a
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) April 18, 2022
Durant’s point total line is likely going to be unaffected by his performance. He’s Kevin Durant. His line will still be pushing 30 points, especially since he averaged 31.3 points per game in the 10 games leading up to the playoffs. That means there will be a little bit of value on the UNDER.
Away from his player props, Tatum’s defense should be concerning from a win/loss standpoint. Brooklyn shouldn’t count on Kyrie Irving to drop close to 40 points every game on the league’s best defense and the Defensive Player of the Year. Brooklyn is a 3.5-point underdog going into Game 2, and there is a very real shot they go 0-2.
The battle between Tatum and Durant will be center stage on Wednesday night, and Durant will have to show up if the Nets want to tie this series up. Let’s see if Tatum allows that to happen.
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