The Boston Celtics are off to a 3-1 start, and the latest win came with the kind of edge-of-your-seat finish that leaves a team both relieved and a little annoyed with itself. They edged the Brooklyn Nets 125-124 on the strength of another huge night from Jayson Tatum, who delivered 40 points, five rebounds and eight assists on 50.0% shooting in 42 minutes.
Tatum’s shot-making carried the Celtics through a game that went down to the final possession, but he wasn’t interested in dressing it up afterward. Even with the victory secured, he pointed to the rough patches, especially how Boston closed the fourth quarter.
“ It’s the first back-to-back of the year. We just talked about what team we want to be, and it was ugly.
We won, but we didn’t play our best,” said Tatum. “The way that we finished the fourth, we have to work on that.
But it’s hard to win in the NBA, so we’ll take it.”
The Celtics have had to rework things after losing Finals MVP Jaylen Brown this summer, and Tatum has been pushed into even more of the spotlight. For one night, that hardly looked like a problem.
He played with real authority, getting where he wanted on the floor and firing without hesitation. Paul George added 20 points, Derrick White had 16, and Boston’s balance was enough to hold off a Nets team that stayed alive until the end.
“We just gotta figure it out,” Tatum added. “It’s 82 games - it’s not always gonna be pretty, but can we stick with it, can we be resilient, can everybody chip in? Everybody played a part.”
The comeback story around Tatum is bigger than one box score. After suffering an Achilles tendon tear, there were doubts about whether he would get back to superstar form, and he admitted he had those same doubts during the grind of rehab. Now, 18 months out, he says the progress is showing up in little flashes.
“For me, results matter, but I’m 18 months out,” Tatum added. “It’s about progress and how I’m moving.
It’s little moments throughout the game where I do something, and it’s not even always with the ball, and I go, ‘Oooh, it’s coming back to me,’ and I start feeling like my old self. I feel really good about that.”
There’s still a long season ahead, and four games won’t define anything for Boston. But with Tatum looking more comfortable by the night, the Celtics have reason to believe they can make noise in the East. If the supporting cast keeps doing its part - with Paul George, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser all providing help in the early going - Boston’s start could turn into something much bigger, and maybe even reshape how people view the Brown trade.
In Other News...
Nets Let A Winnable Road Game Slip Away At The Worst Time
Brooklyn had every reason to feel good about how it had fought its way into a tight finish in Boston, especially with rookie Mikel Brown Jr. giving the Nets a burst of life in the fourth quarter. He scored 13 points in the period, and for a stretch it looked like Brooklyn might steal a road game it had no business controlling for long stretches.
Instead, a late mistake gave the Celtics the opening they needed in a game that was already hanging by a thread. The Nets left with a 125-124 overtime loss, a brutal ending in a matchup that had been there for the taking and will linger because the final possession turned from a chance to close it out into another reminder of how thin the margin is on the road. [Read more 🡒]
Why The Nets Wanted No Part Of Jaylen Brown
When Boston came calling with a trade idea for Jaylen Brown, the Nets reportedly didnt need long to think it over. According to league insider Brian Lewis, Brooklyn passed on the offer because Browns close relationship with Kyrie Irving was part of the package, and the organization was wary of reopening old doors it had worked hard to close.
For the Nets, it was less about Browns talent than the memory attached to the move. League sources said Brooklyn wanted no part of anything that could resemble another Kyrie Irving situation, a reminder of how much the franchise still measures potential additions against the turbulence that came with Irvings stint there. Brown eventually landed with the Philadelphia 76ers, where he is playing now, but the reason Brooklyn backed away says plenty about the standards the team is applying to its roster decisions. [Read more 🡒]
Nets May Have Avoided A Bigger Egor Demin Scare
Egor Demins night ended early in Boston after he left with a right leg contusion and never returned, a frustrating turn in an overtime loss for the Nets. The injury came after a collision with Paul George, and Brooklyn was left to sort through another short-handed finish while trying to assess how much trouble its rookie guard was really in.
Demin offered a calmer read after the game, saying the issue does not appear serious and that he expects to be back in a couple of days. Even so, there was still some uncertainty about whether he would need imaging, and his availability for Fridays matchup with the Detroit Pistons remains up in the air. [Read more 🡒]