Paul George didn’t grab the night’s loudest spotlight Tuesday at TD Garden, and that was never going to happen with Jayson Tatum dropping 40 points and ending it with the game-winning jumper as overtime expired. But George still gave the Celtics exactly the kind of performance they’ve been looking for from him.
Boston edged Brooklyn 125-124 in a game that had to be earned all the way to the final possession, and George’s line stood out for more than just scoring. He finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, giving the Celtics a steady two-way presence while the game stayed tight from start to finish.
That assist total matters. Tatum has already shown what he can do when Boston funnels the offense through him, and he did it again Tuesday with 40 points, eight assists and zero turnovers. What the Celtics need around him is another player who can keep the offense moving when defenses load up on their star.
George showed that part of his value clearly. He wasn’t just a perimeter scoring option; he worked as another creator, reading the floor, finding openings and helping Boston avoid getting stuck in single-player possessions. That kind of support gave the Celtics a needed second offensive engine in a game where they had to survive a determined Brooklyn push.
Derrick White added 16 points and Jordan Walsh chipped in 15, rounding out a balanced scoring night that helped Boston earn its third straight win.
The win also offered another look at how this roster is still taking shape. George and Mitchell Robinson are among the pieces Boston is working into the mix around Tatum, and close games are where that adjustment shows up most. Against Brooklyn, the Celtics needed help from several sources before Tatum closed the door at the end.
The Nets made it uncomfortable. They built a five-point lead late in the fourth quarter, then forced overtime when Mikel Brown Jr. hit a last-second three-pointer. Boston still had to withstand that pressure until the final shot.
George’s game was useful because it gave the Celtics a different answer when the offense started to bog down. He also handled the back-to-back without issue, playing 25 minutes in Monday’s blowout win over Chicago and then being available again Tuesday.
Boston doesn’t need George to score 40 every night beside Tatum. What it needs is exactly what he showed here: another veteran who can create, make smart decisions and add balance across the board.
Tuesday night, Tatum delivered the finish. George helped make it possible.
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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 🡒]
Mitchell Robinson Sparks Tense Celtics Flashpoint In Tight Nets Battle
A tense moment briefly overtook TD Garden in the first half when Celtics center Mitchell Robinson got into a verbal exchange that pulled players and coaches toward the Nets bench. The back-and-forth gave an otherwise tight game a jolt, and Robinson was already having a solid first-half impact with seven points and three rebounds by halftime.
The incident also came with a technical foul for Robinson, adding another layer to a game that already had a competitive edge to it. Boston carried an 86-82 lead into the fourth quarter, with the kind of playoff-style friction that can linger as the game gets late. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Have A Payton Pritchard Debate That Could Grow Fast
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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 🡒]