With 3.0 seconds left on the shot clock, Jayson Tatum sized up R.J. Barrett, side-stepped to his right and knocked down a long two-point attempt that only left the New York Knicks enough time for a Hail Mary attempt.
The Boston Celtics’ rising star had delivered an masterful performance, hitting jumper after jumper — shots that take incredible skill considering the manner in which he created space — on his way to 24 points on 9-17 shooting from the field and 4-8 shooting from three. He found cutting teammates with high IQ passes.
It was by far Tatum’s best showing of the season, especially as the same shots he took to take over against the Knicks were the same ones clanking off the rim in the first four games.
Aside from two fouls on friend and foe Marcus Morris late in the fourth quarter, it was almost perfect.
While Tatum was the most sensational player for Boston on Friday night, Celtics point guard Kemba Walker was the team’s leading scorer. As his 14 trips to the free-throw line might suggest, he attacked relentlessly while playing within the offense, ending the night with six rebounds and five assists to add to his team-high 33 points.
Though the Knicks aren’t considered a powerhouse team by any means, Morris scored a team-high 29 points and went 5-8 from three-point range to help keep New York in a game that saw 24 lead changes. Morris spoke about his departure from Boston prior to the two team’s previous matchups, candidly expressing his displeasure at the Celtics failing to reach out to him in free agency.
There’s no doubt that playing Boston was extra motivation for him to deliver a strong performance of his own.
Still, the Celtics are now 4-1.
