Film Study: Jayson Tatum Takes Over the Game, Scoring 16 Points in the Fourth Quarter of Wednesday's Win vs. Hornets
In Wednesday's win against the Hornets, Jayson Tatum found himself in rhythm right out of the gates. He knocked down his first shot of the game to break the ice for the Celtics and finished the frame with 10 points on 5/9 shooting (55.6 percent).
He was quiet in the second quarter, only taking three shots, but he converted on two of them, signaling that the Hornets, mostly playing zone defense in an attempt to junk up Boston's offense, hadn't taken him out of his rhythm.
With 2:45 left in the third quarter, Tatum re-entered the game, having scored only four points in the period. He proceeded to put eight more points on the board, five of which came at the free-throw line, and three of them resulting from Kelly Oubre fouling him with 0.1 left in the quarter, then picking up a technical.
Those eight points helped the Celtics grow their lead to nine entering the final frame, and they made it easier for Tatum to maintain his rhythm, setting the stage for him to take over the game in the fourth quarter.
Tatum could lead Robert Williams for a dunk, but rather than risking a turnover, he heads to the corner; P.J. Washington is shading him to go baseline, but he's affording Tatum too much space, and he's too far to the left to pose much of a threat to Tatum's shot.
Washington probably knows what's coming, but Tatum does a good job not to tip when it's happening, and he sidesteps into a clean look on an in-rhythm fadeaway three that he swishes.
Robert Williams grabs the miss, and he quickly gets it to Tatum, who pushes the pace. That gets Cody Martin, who meets him up high at first, to drop inside the arc. The uptempo manner in which Tatum goes into his hesitation move gets Martin to go so far as to drop his right foot, opening his hips towards the middle of the floor. Not taking an extra dribble gives Tatum even more space to launch a clean look at a three, and again, he swishes it.
The screen by Al Horford gets Washington switched onto Tatum. The three-time All-Star brings him to the left wing, takes a hard dribble, and plants his left foot in the ground to halt his momentum. Washington stays balanced and sticks with him, but he's again on Tatum's outside shoulder, and Tatum sidesteps into another three that touches nothing but the net.
Horford swats Washington's pass to Montrezl Harrell, Derrick White picks up the loose ball, and the Celtics have a three on one with Harrell running to try to stay in the play. White shovels it ahead to Tatum, who's too fast for Harrell, and he wisely cuts in front of Miles Bridges, going from right to left, rotating his right shoulder, and laying the ball in off the glass.
Horford grabs the miss after Tatum's only missed shot in the quarter, and he kicks it out to Marcus Smart, who immediately swings it to White, who gets LaMelo Ball to bite on a well-sold pump fake. With Mason Plumlee standing so far from a red-hot Tatum, White gets him the ball in the corner, and Tatum, not the least bit fazed by Plumlee, takes his time, makes sure he's got the ball gripped well, and then rises to knock down another three.
On Tatum's final bucket of the game, he seals off Bridges and calls for the ball at the foul line. When he gets it, he faces up, rips through, and even though Bridges dissuades him from taking the shot initially, Tatum's unbothered by the tight defense. He takes a dribble to relocate to the left, then rises for a clean look at a fadeaway jumper he cashes in to finish the evening with 44 points.
With this performance coming on the heels of Tatum's 54-point masterpiece against the Nets, he matched Kevin McHale's franchise record, scoring 98 points in two games. The most impressive part of what happened on Wednesday was how easy the Celtics' ascending star made it look.
Further Reading
Celtics Sign Malik Fitts and Kelan Martin to Second 10-Day Contracts
Profile on Celtics' Latest Signing, Nik Stauskas
Profile on Celtics' Newest Signing, Matt Ryan
The Trials, Tribulations, and Growth of Ime Udoka in His First Year as Celtics' Head Coach
