BOSTON (AP) - The Boston Celtics opened up to full capacity just in time for the local fans to jeer and swear - and worse - at Kyrie Irving every time he touched the ball.
Irving had 39 points and 11 rebounds to quiet the first post-pandemic full house at the TD Garden, and Kevin Durant scored 42 points to give the Brooklyn Nets a 141-126 victory over Boston on Sunday night and a 3-1 lead in the first-round playoff series.
Afterward, as Irving walked off the court he was nearly hit by a bottle thrown from the stands. Irving and Nets guard Tyler Johnson turned to the stands and pointed; police surrounded a man in a Kevin Garnett jersey before leading him out in handcuffs.
‘’Fans have got to grow up at some point,’’ Durant said. ‘’I know that being in the house for a year and a half with the pandemic has got a lot of people on edge, has got a lot of people stressed out. But when you come to these games you’ve got to realize: These men are human. We’re not animals. We’re not in the circus.
The incident mirrored others in which a Philadelphia fan threw popcorn at Wizards star Russell Westbrook and one in New York spit at Atlanta’s Trae Young. Both have been banned from their respective arenas.
A spokeswoman for the TD Garden said Boston Police arrested one person Sunday night ‘’for throwing an object.’’