Jayson Tatum’s historic Game 4 vs. Heat helps Celtics stave off elimination
Tatum makes history in Game 4 to help Celtics stave off elimination originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
We’ll say this about Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics: Desperation brings out their best.
The Celtics needed a win Tuesday night in Game 4 to keep their season alive after dropping the first three games of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat. So, they turned to the same player who lifted them in back-to-back elimination games against the Philadelphia 76ers: Tatum.
The Celtics star racked up a game-high 34 points with 11 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and a steal in Game 4, powering Boston on both ends in a 116-99 victory at Kaseya Center that sends the East Finals back to TD Garden for Game 5 on Thursday.
Tatum entered Tuesday shooting just 25 percent from 3-point range in the series but hit 5 of 9 deep balls in Game 4, setting a record in the process by passing Paul Pierce for the most 3-pointers in Celtics playoff history with 223.
Jayson Tatum is the Celtics’ new record-holder for most 3-pointers in the postseason.
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The 25-year-old also recorded his 16th career playoff game with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, vaulting John Havlicek for the second-most games with that stat line in Boston history behind only Larry Bird.
Jayson Tatum now has the 2nd most Playoff games with 25+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists in Celtics history.
1. Larry Bird (26 games)
2. Jayson Tatum (16 games)
3. John Havlicek (15 games) pic.twitter.com/vo40niuPmy— NBA History (@NBAHistory) May 24, 2023
Tatum did the majority of his damage in the second half, scoring 25 of his 34 points in the final two quarters. More importantly for the Celtics, he also made the right plays, tallying five second-half assists to contribute to more than 60 percent of Boston’s second-half points.
The Celtics got huge boosts from role players like Derrick White (16 points), Grant Williams (14 points) and Marcus Smart (11 points, all in the second half. But it was Tatum who led Boston’s offensive attack with a level of playmaking that was missing in Games 1 through 3.
Tatum saved the Celtics in Game 6 in Philadelphia with 16 fourth-quarter points, then put the team on his back with 51 in Game 7. In Tuesday’s elimination game, it was Tatum once again who rose to the occasion to pull Boston back from the brink.
Source: Yahoo Sports
