Strapped With Confidence, Jayson Tatum Called Game vs. 76ers

The Boston Celtics weren’t getting the best performance out of their star player Jayson Tatum on Saturday night in South Philly against the Sixers.

In the first half, Tatum spent a total of 19 minutes on the court. During that time, he drained just two of his six shot attempts, scoring four points. For a guy that averages 30 points per night, Tatum’s four points were certainly low for his standards.

In hindsight, the Sixers got exactly the type of game they needed out of Tatum, which was below-average percentage shooting from the field and lower scoring than usual. While Philly likely felt good about holding Tatum to under 20 points, they couldn’t stop him when it mattered the most.

“Obviously, I wasn’t playing well or shooting the ball well, but I always shoot the ball with confidence,” Tatum explained after the game. “I believe that the next one is going in no matter what. Shoot the right shot. If you miss five in a row and on the next one, you’re wide open, you gotta shoot it.”

With five seconds left in the game, the Celtics dialed up a play to get the ball to Tatum. The score was tied at 107, with the final seconds of the game running off the clock. Tatum got the ball behind the three-point line with De’Anthony Melton defending him.

“Get separation and make a play,” Tatum said after revealing the plan. “I felt him leaning, snatch it back, did a move.”

Tatum’s quick stop caused Melton to give him just enough space to get set and release a 26-footer. Even with a hand in his face, Tatum sunk the shot, giving the Celtics a three-point lead with 1.3 seconds left in the game.

“It’s a shot that I’ve worked on 1,000 times before,” he said.

Despite barely shooting over 40 percent from the field on the night, Tatum didn’t lack any confidence in his final shot. Going into the final play, the All-Star told his teammate Grant Williams that he was going to put the game away on that last play.

“Coming out of that time out, I told Grant,‘This is game,’” Tatum said.

“I told him it’s game time. We’re going home. I knew it had been a tough night, but it was a perfect story, right? Tie game with five seconds left. I haven’t been shooting well, but come through for the guys when you need it the most.”

Despite leading by 15 points in the third quarter, the Sixers fell short to the Celtics 110-107. With that loss, the Sixers make it four straight to the Celtics, as they haven’t defeated Boston since January 14 of last season.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.