Jayson Tatum missed his first chance at a game-winning shot of the regular season against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday. But in overtime, he didn’t miss his second attempt at a game-winner.
Tatum’s 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Boston Celtics a 126–123 win at TD Garden. The win increased Boston’s record to 11–3. Only the 14-0 Cleveland Cavaliers are better in the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics star had a chance to win the game in regulation, but he lost his dribble as he drove toward the free-throw line. Ochai Agbaji went on the defensive and openly faced Tatum. However, he rushed and missed badly.
Both teams scored nine points in overtime, but the Celtics ultimately had the ball. Tatum got the ball with 12 seconds left and worked the three-point line while matching up with Agbaji again. The play seemed to call for Jaylen Brown to get free at the top of the arc, but he was knocked down by Davion Mitchell without a foul called.
As a result, Tatum had to take the photo himself. Mitchell moved to double-team Tatum, but retreated towards Brown, who would have been left open. Tatum then took a step back, created some more space with a dribble and eventually scored with 0.6 seconds on the clock. As the buzzer sounded, the ball went through the net for the game winner.
Tatum finished one assist away from a triple-double with 24 points, 11 rebounds and nine dishes. Brown led Boston with 27 points and added six rebounds and seven assists.
Joe Mazzulla on how he makes Jayson Tatum look unconfident in those late game situations:
“I really just remind them of the work he does every day. More often than not, more people miss game winners than make them.” pic.twitter.com/JT6evXHrsP
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) November 17, 2024
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla praised Tatum for shaking off the miss at the end of regulation time and hitting the game-winner in overtime.
“I really just remind him of the work he does every day,” Mazulla said afterward. “More often than not, more people miss game winners than they make them. … He has the work ethic and the mental toughness to handle all those things.”
The Raptors fought the Celtics to the end despite being significantly short with All-Star Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk out of the lineup. Jakob Pöeltl led all scorers with 35 points, followed by RJ Barrett, who recorded a triple-double with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists.
Boston was without Jrue Holiday, who was sidelined with a left knee injury. The Celtics are off until Tuesday, when they face the currently undefeated Cavaliers in an NBA Cup game.