Boston Celtics: Player grades from Game 2 victory over Nets

Boston Celtics player grades: Marcus Smart (B)

Marcus Smart took a bit of a backseat in Game 2, only converting on three of his nine shot attempts on the night. Coach Ime Udoka strayed away from running ample of offensive possessions through him, giving Brown and Tatum more ball-handling duty instead.

Despite this, his defensive impact was felt more than ever, being able to switch onto practically every player Brooklyn has to offer. He’s a pest in the side of Brooklyn’s offensive scheme, being able to get over every screen, breaking up any action that comes his way.

He made enough plays on the offensive end to make it a solid performance, including a left-handed finish over three Nets. He ended up playing 36 minutes — a number which would have been more if not for the stellar play of Payton Pritchard (more on him later).

Boston Celtics player grades: Al Horford (A-)

Big man Al Horford has found the fountain of youth in these playoffs, putting up another solid performance in Game 2. In the beginning of the game when the Boston Celtics couldn’t get anything going on offense, Horford stabilized the team’s attack through simply knocking down his shots.

He ended the night with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting to go along with six rebounds. He wasn’t as big a force on the boards this time around, with Andre Drummond doing a nice job on the defensive glass. However, with Horford hitting three of his six attempts from deep, he keeps the defense honest, which is especially useful in double big lineups with Daniel Theis.

Horford had a great game as a secondary distributor as well, faking out the defense with this pass to the rim. The Florida-product ended up fouling out, but the game was under control by then.

As the series progresses, the C’s may start to use more Horford at center lineups, as the defensive versatility and switchability becomes even more deadly.

He did a fine job on Durant in the game as well as on other perimeter players.