Jayson Tatum didn’t waste much time reminding everyone why Boston can lean on him so heavily this season. With Jaylen Brown out for the first time in his career, the Celtics are asking Tatum to carry the scoring load and the creation duties, and Friday night he delivered exactly the kind of finish they needed.
Boston had already dropped its opener to the Cavaliers after Tatum went 6 for 23 from the floor, including 10 missed shots in the second half, but he still managed 11 assists while facing constant extra attention. Against the Knicks in Game 2, the shot-making showed up in a big way.
Tatum poured in 36 points on 54% shooting as the Celtics held off New York down the stretch for their first win of the season. His 3-point touch is still a work in progress - he’s 3 for 17 to open the year - but he was relentless getting into the paint as both scorer and passer.
When it got late, he finished the job with three straight superstar buckets.
The first came with 1:25 left and the game tied. Tatum drove downhill, got cut off at the rim, backed out into a post-up, spun on Josh Hart and dropped in a fadeaway that left the defense helpless.
Then, with Boston up three and 50 seconds remaining, he found himself trapped in the right corner with Hart all over him and the clock draining. A side step and escape dribble didn’t create much, so he rose up anyway, leaning back and firing over Hart’s fingertips for another huge make.
By the time the Celtics were up three again with 30 seconds left, the Knicks still had a shot to get back into it after a pair of OG Anunoby free throws. Tatum answered by going left off a ball screen, getting Karl-Anthony Towns on the switch, giving a quick pump and stepping into a 3. That one sealed it.
It wasn’t the cleanest shot selection in the moment - especially with Tatum still sitting at 2 for 16 from deep on the season and plenty of time left on the shot clock - but Boston trusts him in those spots. He had already spent much of the night working his way inside, and when the game turned tense, he made the sort of difficult shots star players are paid to make.
Tatum’s late-game burst wasn’t the only clutch moment Friday. In Texas, Amen Thompson came up with a defensive play that sent Houston to a 2-0 start and left Victor Wembanyama without the tying bucket.
The Rockets and Spurs were battling through the nightcap of the national TV doubleheader when Houston worked the game through Alperen Sengun in crunch time. Sengun scored six points in a little over a minute, Kevin Durant hit a huge 3, and still the Spurs were right there. They got one last chance on a side out with five seconds remaining and a shot to tie.
Mitch Johnson drew up a play to spring Wembanyama for an entry pass, and it worked. Wembanyama caught the ball near the restricted circle and turned straight to the rim. At 7-foot-4 with absurd reach, it looked like a sure finish - until Thompson, listed at 6-foot-7, exploded upward and met him above the rim to block it and close out the win for Houston.
It was the kind of play that makes you stop and stare. To get off the floor that fast from a standstill and still rise high enough to swat away a shot from a player that size is about as outrageous as it gets.
Elsewhere, Golden State thought it had control with a 106-94 lead and 3:47 left, but the Grizzlies ripped off a 14-0 run over the next three minutes and change. The winning basket came from rookie Cameron Boozer with 20 seconds left. Boozer took the ball at the top, used his size advantage on Brandin Podziemski, backed him into the paint, spun right and finished over him.
Boozer was excellent in his second pro game, scoring six of Memphis’ final 14 points and finishing with 25 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and two steals. He hit four of seven from 3-point range and was plus-12 after going plus-32 in his debut. Through 70 minutes this season, the Grizzlies have outscored opponents by 44 points with Boozer on the floor, and he has the early Rookie of the Year look.
Ty Jerome is off to a wild start too. The former G League player is currently the NBA scoring leader at 36.5 points per game after going for 28 against the Warriors, following his 45-point opener against the Jazz. Jerome spent a season with Golden State and was productive there before breaking out in Cleveland.
In Other News...
Celtics Face A Risky Wing Debate Around Jayson Tatum
The Celtics roster questions keep circling back to the wings, where any move has to fit around Jayson Tatum and the teams championship expectations. One speculative idea making the rounds centers on Orlandos Franz Wagner, a young scorer whose age and overall offensive skill set make him an intriguing fit on paper, even if the financial side of any deal would not be simple.
What makes the discussion tricky is the shooting profile. Wagner has put up strong scoring numbers, but his outside shot has not been reliable enough to make the fit feel seamless right away, which is why the appeal comes with some real risk for Boston. If his jumper continues to trend in the right direction, the upside is obvious, but the Celtics would have to decide whether to bet on that improvement now or keep looking for a cleaner answer on the wing. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Got The Win They Needed And Sparked A Rotation Debate
The Celtics got the kind of early-season win they needed in a tight one against the Knicks, a game that felt like a measuring stick for both teams trying to avoid an 0-2 start. Jayson Tatum was central to Bostons effort, but one of the more interesting developments came from Neemias Queta, whose minutes carried real weight in a matchup where the Celtics were looking for energy, size and a little stability inside.
Quetas impact only adds to the rotation conversation Boston has already started to stir up, especially in a game where Mitchell Robinsons foul trouble and uneven night left New York searching for answers. The Celtics did enough to hold on, but the way they got there offered a reminder that the regular season can quickly turn into a referendum on who earns trust when the games tighten up. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Garnett Just Nailed Why Celtics Fans Revere That Title
Kevin Garnetts latest reflection on his career lands with easy resonance in Boston, where the 2008 title still carries a different kind of weight than any individual trophy ever could. Speaking on the Out The Mud Podcast, Garnett made the case that a championship means more than an MVP award because it represents the work of an entire locker room, coaching staff and organization, a view that fits neatly with how Celtics fans have always remembered that team.
For Garnett, the distinction comes from experience. He had already reached the summit as a league MVP with Minnesota before later joining the Celtics and helping deliver the franchises long-awaited title, and he framed those achievements as proof that team success lives in a different category. The comment is a reminder of why that run still endures in Boston, where the ring became the defining line on his resume and the one fans still point to first. [Read more 🡒]