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Jayson Tatum Says He Has No Issue with Others Taking the Game-Deciding Shot: 'I'm Just Trying to Win'
While a part of what makes a superstar is consistently playing up to that billing, even the best aren't impervious to games where they play well below their capabilities.
That's what happened to Jayson Tatum Saturday night in Utah. The four-time All-Star went scoreless in three of four quarters in the Celtics' 118-117 loss to the Jazz.
Despite Tatum not putting any points on the board in the final frame, Joe Mazzulla designed Boston's last two possessions to get him the ball.
On the first play, with the Celtics wanting to work quickly, opting for a two-for-one, down one with 35 seconds left, Tatum missed a pull-up three from above the break. Frankly, his shot didn't come close.
On their following possession, still trailing 118-117 with five seconds on the game clock, the ball never found Tatum.
With Utah, whose head coach is former Celtics' lead assistant Will Hardy, defending the play well, when Grant Williams gathered the sideline inbound, rather than dribbling toward half court to meet Tatum for a dribble handoff, he broke for the basket, where seven-foot-one center Walker Kessler denied him at the rim, preserving the victory for the Jazz.
After the loss, which dropped Boston to third in the East, Williams and Mazzulla detailed what went wrong on the game's final play.
As for Tatum, who finished with 15 points, six assists, three rebounds, and a block, when asked if he had any frustration about not getting the ball at the end of the game, he offered the following response.
"No, I'm not frustrated at Grant. You know, if he made it, everybody would be happy. It's not why we lost; that last play. It is what it is."
Tatum also conveyed he has no issue with someone else taking a game-deciding shot, for example, on a night when Jaylen Brown has the hot hand and Tatum's struggling to find his rhythm.
"Yeah (I'm good with that)," he stated. "I ain't got no ego or nothing like that. I'm just trying to win."
Further Reading
Celtics Discuss What Went Wrong on the Final Play in Their Loss vs. the Jazz
Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Jazz: Boston Outplayed in Crunch-Time
Al Horford and Marcus Smart Credit Joe Mazzulla for Celtics' Recent Success
Joe Mazzulla Explains What's Different About the Celtics Since Their Loss in Houston
