Facing Memphis, Jayson Tatum gave himself a nice birthday present
On the evening of his 24th birthday, Jayson Tatum did not do things by halves. Already, in the absence of Jaylen Brown, his 37 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists guided the Celtics to a superb victory over the Grizzlies. Then, he offered himself the luxury of ending the game in the best possible way: 21 points in the fourth quarter!
” When he’s like that, you have to make sure to get out of his way and let him do his job. », explained Marcus Smartone of the other strong men of the C’s (18 points, 12 assists).
As the Boston point guard implies, Jayson Tatum was indeed “in the zone” in the last act, after having been rather discreet during the first three (16 points, 5/12 on shots).
Duel at the top with Ja Morant
Between excessive penetrations, success at 3-pts, “fadeaway” at mid-distance, shifts for his teammates and even “alley-oop” or tap on the offensive rebound: it’s the whole panoply of the triple All-Star that is there went on the attack, on these 12 minutes of madness.
Although Memphis sent two players to the winger, he always managed to find a way to score on almost every possession. And that was necessary to resist the heat stroke of Ja Morant, author of 30 points (!) in the second half, who did not stop answering him, in the fourth quarter.
” It was fun, the atmosphere was electric “, Appreciated Jayson Tatum, concerning this mano-a-mano. ” There were just two players reciprocating, doing whatever they could to lead their team to victory. It was a real duel, it went both ways. […] As a competitor, this is something you are looking for. You just want to fight like that with someone you respect who is doing great things in the league. In addition, the fourth quarter is the time to win and I wanted to do the right things. I learned to do the job. »
Forced to lay down their arms, in particular because of his failed first period (8 points, 3/14 on shots), Ja Morant could only bow to the daunting performance of his evening opponent.
” He was on a good pace, we tried to make it as difficult for him as possible, but such a talented player always finds a way [de s’en sortir] “, also recognized the All-Star leader of Tennesse. ” He got going, he went to the areas where he felt comfortable and he shot big shots to keep his team ahead, give them the win. »
Boston’s fantastic comeback continues
An authoritative success, against one of the three best teams in the league, which will obviously not fail to further inflate the morale and confidence of the Celtics. Celtics who have now won 13 of their last 15 games and who continue to rise in the standings, in the East (5th place, with 38 wins – 27 losses).
” These are good challenges for us », judged Jayson Tatum, who is now set to play the Nets on Sunday night. ” Memphis is one of the best teams this season and you know what Brooklyn can be capable of, once 100%. We must not project ourselves too much, simply take the matches one by one. It’s easier to reflect on the positive and the negative once the week is over. »
On the other hand, the Boston winger indeed wishes to retain the level of play displayed by his team, for more than a month now. And, this, on each side of the floor.
” We play with a lot more desire, we have a lot more fun together “, thus noted Jayson Tatum to conclude. ” Of course, when you win, you tend to play with a little more enthusiasm, in a good mood. Which didn’t happen often at the start of the season. But it’s just basket, you have to be able to have fun most of the time. And it is, right now. »
Jayson Tatum | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Disabled | Def | Total | pd | AND P | Int | bp | CT | Points |
2017-18 | BOS | 80 | 31 | 47.5 | 43.4 | 82.6 | 0.6 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 13.9 |
2018-19 | BOS | 79 | 31 | 45.0 | 37.3 | 85.5 | 0.9 | 5.2 | 6.0 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 15.7 |
2019-20 | BOS | 66 | 34 | 45.0 | 40.3 | 81.2 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 23.4 |
2020-21 | BOS | 64 | 36 | 45.9 | 38.6 | 86.8 | 0.8 | 6.6 | 7.4 | 4.3 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 26.4 |
2021-22 | BOS | 60 | 36 | 43.3 | 32.9 | 85.0 | 1.2 | 7.2 | 8.3 | 4.2 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 25.9 |
Total | 349 | 33 | 45.2 | 37.9 | 84.3 | 0.9 | 5.8 | 6.6 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 20.5 |