Nets’ superstar Kevin Durant calls out Marcus Smart for a dirty play attempt to get a charge call on an out-of-bounds play
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The Brooklyn Nets aren’t invincible. The current villains of the NBA and the most recent superteam, the Brooklyn Nets showed signs of weakness tonight. The Boston Celtics, after getting blown out in Game 2, came back strong and claimed the win in Game 3, at home. Jayson Tatum recorded a mammoth 50 point game, to sail the Celtics past the Nets. This records his second 50 point game in the last 4 matches. Along with Tatum, Marcus Smart rose up and scored 23 points. Tristan Thompson scored 19 points and grabbed 13 boards.
For the Nets, a combined 80 points by Kevin Durant and James Harden wasn’t enough. Harden scored 41 points, recorded 10 assists, and grabbed 7 rebounds. Kevin Durant scored 39 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. Kyrie Irving had a nightmare shooting night, scoring 16 points on 6/17 attempts.
Kevin Durant calls Marcus Smart’s play dirty
With 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Celtics had a six-point lead, and the Nets were inbounding the ball. Kevin Durant was running to find positioning when he collided with Marcus Smart, who grabbed onto KD. It was initially called an offensive foul, but upon using the coach’s challenge, it was overruled to be a foul on Smart.
Kevin Durant truck sticks Marcus Smart and is called for an offensive foul, the Nets challenge, and somehow this is overturned to a foul on Smart pic.twitter.com/kFMFopkcms
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) May 29, 2021
While the call is much debated, one thing isn’t. Smart seems to step into KD’s path and then apparently grab him as he falls. For someone who had been away from the game for over 500 days due to injury, this is scary. There was a chance of KD getting injured. After the game, KD shared his thoughts on the same.
“That’s not basketball” -Kevin Durant to Marcus Smart
— Talkin’ Nets (@TalkinNets) May 29, 2021
Smart and Durant have had collisions all through the series. In Game 1, KD suffered a scary fall on a play involving Marcus Smart. The two teams would go at it again on Sunday, as the Celtics would like to even things before the series moves back to Brooklyn.