Jayson Tatum kept adding to his resume Tuesday night, and this one came with a little Boston history attached.
The Celtics star buried the game-winning jumper in overtime to push Boston past the Brooklyn Nets, 125-124, in a wild finish that gave the Celtics their third straight victory after opening the season with a loss. Tatum did more than save the night late. He finished with 40 points and eight assists, and he did it without a turnover.
That kind of line put him in rare company. Tatum joined Larry Bird as the only Celtics players ever to put up at least 35 points, eight assists and zero turnovers in a game. He also took a career-high 22 free throws, making 18 of them, while shooting 10-of-20 from the field.
The final shot capped a performance that had been building all night. Boston had trouble shaking Brooklyn for much of the game, even though the Celtics came in as favorites. The Nets kept punching back and forced overtime before Tatum ended it with the kind of moment that turns a box score into a headline.
He also moved into another small slice of Celtics history, becoming the fourth Boston player in the last 30 seasons to hit an overtime buzzer-beater. Over his last three games, Tatum is averaging 33.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game.
Paul George chipped in 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Derrick White added 16 as Boston improved to 3-1.
Brooklyn, meanwhile, is still searching for its first win. The Nets fell to 0-4 after taking the Celtics all the way to overtime.
Boston’s next stop is Friday at home against the Chicago Bulls in its NBA Cup group-stage opener. Brooklyn will face the Detroit Pistons next.
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Jayson Tatum Just Delivered A Celtics Reminder In Crunch Time
Jayson Tatum spent 42 minutes reminding everyone why the Celtics can still lean on him when a game turns chaotic, and Boston needed every bit of it in a 125-124 overtime win over the Nets. He was efficient, steady and all over the stat sheet, piling up 40 points on 50% shooting with eight assists, five rebounds and a block while keeping his turnover count at zero.
The performance also pushed Tatum deeper into the Celtics record book, where he added more franchise marks tied to scoring, playmaking and efficiency. Paul George, meanwhile, also left his mark by setting a Celtics record for steals per game, but the lasting image from this one was Tatum taking control when the game was hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]
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Joe Mazzulla appears content to keep Pritchard in that sixth-man lane, with Jordan Walsh getting the start instead, but the debate is starting to bubble up for a reason. When the Celtics are short-handed, there is a clear case for giving Pritchard more runway with the first group, and his shot creation has become too important to treat as a luxury no matter where he enters the game. [Read more 🡒]