Jayson Tatum ‘Finally Woke Up’ in Celtics’ Game 1 Win vs. Pacers

Highlights

Jaylen Brown credited Jayson Tatum’s strong overtime period as the difference-maker in Boston’s Game 1 win over Indiana.
Tatum overcame his fourth-quarter struggles with an impressive overtime performance.
Jaylen Brown’s clutch three-pointer saved the game for the Celtics in regulation.

The Boston Celtics survived the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 with a 133-128 overtime win to draw first blood in the Eastern Conference Finals. The thirsty Pacers were certainly out there for Boston’s blood on Tuesday night as they gave the East’s No. 1 seed all they can handle in the series opener.

In the end, however, the Celtics leaned on the heroics of their two stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, to make the big plays and lead them to the Game 1 victory. Brown made the game-tying three-pointer in regulation that sent the game into overtime, while Tatum scored 11 of Boston’s 16 overtime points to seal the win for the Celtics.

Asked about what made the difference for Boston in the extra session, Brown credited Tatum for coming alive in overtime for leading them to victory.

“I think we just made some momentum plays. [Jayson Tatum] finally woke up, made some baskets.” – Jaylen Brown

Tatum’s naysayers may have a field day with that one. But Brown is likely just crediting his All-Star teammate for coming through for them when they needed him most.

Jayson Tatum Came Up Huge In Overtime

Tatum struggled in the 4th quarter before OT explosion

Jayson Tatum has received criticism in the past for coming up small in big moments. It was almost looking like one of those days for the All-Star in the fourth quarter as he struggled to put the ball in the basket down the stretch.

Tatum went 2-7 from the field in the final period and missed his final four attempts in regulation. He clanked a wide open three-pointer with 36.1 seconds left that would have tied the game and then later missed a mid-range jumper that would have cut Indiana’s lead down to one with 14.1 ticks left.

Luckily for him, Jaylen Brown was there to save the day with a clutch corner three-pointer that forced overtime and gave Tatum a chance to redeem himself. And that is exactly what he did.

Tatum scored 10 of Boston’s 16 points in the extra session, including two big shots that ultimately swung the momentum towards their way. The last one, in particular, put the Celtics up by four with 42.8 seconds left in overtime.

Despite his notable struggles in the fourth quarter, Tatum still had a big night with 36 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists on 12-of-26 shooting. He did significant damage from the free throw line as well, where he converted 10 of his 12 attempts. As for Brown, not only did he make the biggest shot of the game, he also tallied 26 points, seven rebounds, and five assists on 10-of-20 shooting.

The Celtics certainly did enough to survive Game 1. But the Pacers proved Tuesday night that the Eastern Conference Finals won’t be a cakewalk for Boston.