If you came to the Garden on Sunday looking for show from the Celtics and Jayson Tatum, you weren’t let down. Tatum and Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant locked themselves into an offensive back-and-forth in a battle between playoff contenders in the East. It was Tatum who shone brightest in the end, going for 54 points in a 126-120 win.
What else is there to talk about but Jayson Tatum? In his fourth career 50-point game, the Celtics’ superstar tied Larry Bird for the most 50-pieces in Celtics history. The difference is that Larry Legend got his fourth when he was 32. Tatum turned 24 less than a week ago.
The offensive fireworks weren’t limited to Tatum. Both teams were hot throughout the contest. Boston shot just under 50% from the floor total, and made 17 of their 36 threes. The Nets had similar percentages, shooting just above 50% from the floor and just above 44% from three.
STUDS
Jayson Tatum: Tatum was absolutely sensational against Brooklyn. He started hot, with nine quick points in the first quarter. He’d make two quick threes to start the second quarter, and would lead all scorers at halftime with 20 points.
Tatum got into a groove immediately out of halftime. He scored ten points in less than five minutes through the third, and would finish the period with 16, bringing his total to 36 after three.
The fourth quarter put a bow on his magnificent performance. Tatum had 18 in the game’s final frame, torching whoever Brooklyn tried to put on him. He finished the game with 54 points on 16-30 shooting, making eight of his 15 threes. He was, in every sense of the word, unstoppable.
Kevin Durant: Though he was overshadowed by Tatum, KD put on a show in his second game back from injury. After dropping 31 against Miami last Thursday, Durant started hot early, going 4-5 from the field with 12 points in the first quarter.
Durant wouldn’t stop there. He’d add seven more to his total by halftime, missing only three shots total in the first half. He’d finish with 37 points, eight assists, and six rebounds on efficient shooting.
Jaylen Brown: Not a bad outing for Jaylen Brown in his return from an ankle injury. He finished with 21 points, five assists, and four rebounds in the win, complementing Tatum’s historic performance.
DUDS
Grant Williams: While Williams’ season percentages from the arc have been a boon for the Celtics, Williams lost his stroke today. Williams made only one of his six shots in the game, and missed all three of his deep shots.
Seth Curry: In Joe Harris’ absence, the Nets needed another shooter to step up and make threes. Curry didn’t get a ton of shots, and while he did make two threes, a lot more will be expected of him as a starter.
It was a late push that sealed the game late. An 8-2 run by Boston gave the Celtics a 118-113 lead with 1:12 left to play. The run was capped off by a Marcus Smart layup in transition.
The ABC broadcast cutaway briefly to former Celtics big man Glen “Big Baby” Davis who was sitting court-side. Turns out, that wasn’t Davis’ seat and the camera caught the exact moment Baby got busted. Davis could be heard heard remarking “Oh, these all y’all’s seats?” Ha. we’ve all been their buddy.
Kyrie Irving heard the boos from the Celtics fans all night and acknowledged it after the game, throwing some shade while wearing shades.
“I know it’s going to be like that the rest of my career coming in here,” Irving said. “It’s like the scorned girlfriend who just wants an explanation on why I left but still hoping for a text back. It was fun while it lasted.”
This was a close shave. Betonline.ag had the Celtics as 5.5 point which they JUST covered thanks to two Jayson Tatum’s free throws with just 12 seconds to play. Brooklyn did try to score on its next possession but Kevin Durant stepped out of bounds, turning the ball back over to the Celtics, preserving the win and the cover. The teams soared past the over of 225 with a couple minutes to play.
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