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Celtics survive Game 6 as Jayson Tatum surges late: 3 takeaways
Celtics
Tatum turned a nightmarish sport right into a memorable end.
The Celtics survived a roaring Philadelphia crowd and three quarters of nightmare basketball from Jayson Tatum in Sport 6 on Thursday, claiming a dramatic 95-86 victory to drive Sport 7.
Listed here are the takeaways.
1. Jayson Tatum was 4:14 away from a deeply uncomfortable summer season stuffed with questions on his capacity to guide a staff within the clutch and perhaps even his standing as a high participant within the NBA.
Contemporary off an almost unanimous choice to the All-NBA First Staff, Tatum was 1-for-13 from the ground as time ticked away on the Celtics’ season. He couldn’t discover the vary, the Celtics’ offense was icy chilly, and the Sixers seemed like they have been on the verge of taking management.
It might need been a bit factor, however with 6:31 remaining, James Harden fouled Tatum and despatched him to the road for 2 free throws. Tatum made each. The free throws have been shortly forgotten — on the Celtics’ subsequent possession, Jaylen Brown turned the ball over and Tatum dedicated a expensive clear-path foul that gave the Sixers two pictures and the ball. However roughly two minutes later, Tatum lined up his first shot because the free throws — a 3-pointer within the nook over Joel Embiid.
He buried it. The Celtics led by one.
On the Celtics’ subsequent possession, Tatum shook off Tyrese Maxey with a nasty step-back dribble and lined up one other triple.
He buried that one too. The Celtics led by 4.
Two minutes later, Sensible and Tatum ran a pick-and-pop, and Tatum fired once more from three. He cashed that one out. The Celtics led by eight, and a deflated Sixers staff by no means recovered. Tatum added another 3-pointer for good measure in entrance of a shortly thinning Wells Fargo Enviornment crowd earlier than the ultimate buzzer sounded.
“I’m, humbly, among the finest basketball gamers on the planet,” Tatum informed ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth in his postgame interview. “Undergo struggles, undergo slumps, it’s a protracted sport. Fortunately, I received some nice teammates that held it down.”
2. The Celtics wouldn’t have been able to be saved by Tatum if Marcus Sensible hadn’t saved them within the sport with among the finest two-way postseason performances of his profession. Sensible completed with 22 factors on 8-for-15 taking pictures to go together with seven assists, giving the Celtics simply sufficient offense to tread water and wait for his or her star to reach.
Sensible’s efficiency backed up an impassioned quote he gave previous to Sport 6.
“In the event you’re not keen to just about get soiled, when you’re not keen to bleed, when you’re not keen to interrupt one thing, keen to tear one thing going exhausting, then you definately shouldn’t be on that courtroom, as a result of that’s what it’s,” Sensible mentioned. “That’s what the playoffs are about. Hopefully you keep protected, however that’s the mentality. You’ve received to go, you’ve received to be keen to danger all of it for these video games. And that’s the mentality we’ve received to have.”
3. The Celtics tried a brand new beginning lineup, going again to their double massive group that dominated all through final season with Robert Williams subsequent to Al Horford. The outcomes have been glorious — Williams completed with 10 factors and 9 rebounds, and he was a team-high +18 in slightly below 28 minutes of taking part in time.
Importantly, placing Williams within the beginning lineup additionally gave the bench a lift with Derrick White alongside Malcolm Brogdon. White and Brogdon shot a mixed 5-for-6 within the first half from three, and whereas they cooled down within the second, they — like Sensible — have been important in serving to the Celtics construct a lead regardless of Tatum’s struggles.
Sport 7 will happen on Sunday at TD Backyard.
We may have extra takeaways later this night.
