The Boston Celtics remain the NBA's hottest team after a league-best 12-2 start to the 2017-18 NBA season. However, with superstar Kyrie Irving out with a facial fracture, the Celtics had to rely on their talented, young pairing of guard Jaylen Brown and forward Jayson Tatum to pull out a 95-94 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Despite his poor overall outing, Tatum's clutch play in the fourth quarter played an integral part in the win. According to Tom Westerholm of MassLive.com, Brown says the rookie seems to thrive in those late minutes of the game.
“I think that's where Jayson comes alive,” Brown said. “A lot of players on this team come alive in the fourth quarter, and Jayson is one of them. When the game is on the line is when we perform the best, and Jayson is one of those type of players that you give him the ball in the clutch, he can make something happen. Even in summer league he was making shots like that, just he's beyond his years, and he's going to continue to get better.”
Tatum largely struggled the entire night with only 13 points on 6-for-15 shooting, however, he made up for it in the fourth quarter by scoring a difficult layup to put the Celtics up by five with just a minute left. Although it is still a small sample size, this year's third overall pick has shown he is not afraid to take the big shot when his number is called.
Since his arrival, Irving has rightfully served as Boston's go-to scorer in the clutch and will likely continue to do so upon his return. Regardless, it is still encouraging to see that they do have other options if necessary.
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