Jayson Tatum hit an incredible game-winning buzzer-beater on Saturday to lift the Boston Celtics to a 126-123 overtime win against the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden. In his postgame press conference, Tatum, who had gone 0-5 from the field in the second half, was asked how he remains confident that the next shot will go in.
“I got a lot of problems in life, confidence has never been one of them,” Tatum said. “I work too hard at my craft, I played too much basketball to ever doubt the next shot, whether it’s an in-and-our miss or whether I missed the entire rim. I know what I’m capable of and you always believe that the next one is going in.”
Tatum couldn’t buy a basket in that second half and badly missed a potential game-winner at the end of regulation. Some players might have gotten a bit hesitant to shoot in overtime after that, but he wasn’t and made no mistake when presented with another chance to win the game.
🔥JAYSON TATUM HITS THE GAME WINNING BUZZER BEATER 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GvTqgAgsUE
— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 17, 2024
It appeared as if the Celtics had drawn up a play for Jaylen Brown there, but he was knocked down to the floor before he could get the ball. That left Tatum in quite a high-pressure situation but he was still able to drill it from well behind the arc. This was the second game-winning buzzer-beater of his career, with the first one coming against the Brooklyn Nets in Game 1 of the first round of the 2022 playoffs.
Tatum finished this game against the Raptors with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. The 26-year-old wasn’t very efficient, going 7-19 from the field, 5-12 from three, and 5-5 from the line but delivered when it mattered most.
Tatum, who is now averaging 29.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in 2024-25, got plenty of help in this one too. Brown was the Celtics’ leading scorer with 27 points to go with six rebounds, seven assists, and one block.
Al Horford and Derrick White both chipped in with 18 points as well, as the Celtics improved to 11-3. They remain the second seed in the East and are within touching distance of the 14-0 Cleveland Cavaliers.
As for the Raptors, they dropped to 2-12 on the season with this loss and are at the bottom of the standings in the East. Jakob Poeltl was the biggest positive of the night for the visitors, recording 35 points, 12 rebounds, and a steal.
Poeltl also had 25 points and 18 rebounds in their last game against the Detroit Pistons on Friday and I would be surprised if he is a Raptor after the trade deadline. There are a handful of teams looking for big men and I’m sure he is one that a couple of them have an eye on. With the Raptors in total rebuild mode, they’re not exactly going to be desperate to hold on to the Austrian either.
The Celtics, meanwhile, certainly aren’t in rebuild mode and are looking like one of the best teams in the NBA yet again. They’ll get an opportunity to show they are the best when they take on the Cavaliers at TD Garden on Tuesday at 7 PM ET.
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