Let’s start here: The Celtics went toe-to-toe with the best team in the Western Conference (in my opinion) without Gordon Hayward in a 107-104 overtime loss to the Clippers on Wednesday night. They also did so while Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown shot a combined 11-of-31 from the field and with Marcus Smart giving C’s fans nightmares from pre-2019 by going 1-of-11 from 3-point range.
How exactly did the visitors manage to stay competitive in a game with such little efficiency from most of their top weapons? Gritty defense in the first half and solid bench play all night long were key factors, but there was no bigger reason after intermission than Jayson Tatum’s offensive eruption. The third-year forward had the second-best scoring night of his career with 30 points on 12-of-24 shooting from the field, while also stuffing other parts of the box score with seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Twenty-three of those 30 points came in the second half for Tatum, including 14 in a red-hot third quarter in which Tatum went 5-of-7 from the field and 4-of-5 from 3-point range.
“He was being guarded by Leonard, George or Beverley almost all night, and the guy just kept coming,” Brad Stevens told reporters in Los Angeles. “He just kept coming at them, and it was great."
While Tatum has had his individual struggles this year, especially at the rim, he put on a virtuoso performance against three of the best defenders in the NBA on Wednesday night. He did most of his damage from the perimeter, using his length, footwork and quick release to create separation against Clipper defenders. All in all, 75 percent of his shot attempts came at the rim (6/8 FG) or 3-point range (5/10 FG) in what has to be a welcome sight for C’s fans. Once he snapped out of a first-half scoring funk, he put the team on his back for much of the third quarter.
“If you’re somebody like me, I’ve always looked up to Kawhi and PG,” Tatum said postgame. "Especially PG, that was one of my favorite players. This is the opportunity you look for, especially the bright lights, big stage, you don’t want to back down. You want to compete and show them that you belong out here and just earn their respect. And I love competing against those guys.”
While reminding the world why the Celtics have been so high on his potential for the last few years in that hot third period, Tatum amazingly did not attempt a shot again until his game-tying 3-point shot with 13 seconds remaining in regulation. That bailed out the Celtics out after they blew a seven-point lead in the final 2:30 thanks to a 10-0 Clippers run.
Jayson Tatum just made Paul George his son. pic.twitter.com/dvPRJgHGqI
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) November 21, 2019