Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum scored only four points in the fourth quarter of Wednesday night’s 111-101 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Tatum started Game 2 off strong, scoring 14 points in the opening quarter. The five-time All-Star ended his outing with 28 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and one block in 41 minutes of action.
Per a few NBA betting sites, the Celtics remain the odds-on favorite to win the championship. Sportsbooks are still showing great odds for the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, and Milwaukee Bucks.
Jayson Tatum in the 4Q tonight:
4 PTS
1/3 FG
2/4 FT pic.twitter.com/mZ0G5yWmlh— StatMamba (@StatMamba) April 25, 2024
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Tatum said. “There’s a lot of history between these two franchises, especially recently. … It’s never going to go exactly as people expect it to go and that’s the beauty of it.”
Tatum finished 10-of-20 (50%) shooting from the field, 2-of-6 (33.3%) from deep, and 6-of-8 (75%) at the free throw line. It was his 66th playoff game with at least 20 points.
This performance came just days after he recorded his first career playoff triple-double on Sunday, amassing 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in game in which Boston led by as many as 34 points in the fourth quarter.
Jayson Tatum has shot 36.1% from the field, 19.7% from 3-point range in the clutch the last three seasons
In Game 2, Miami went on a 10-0 run to take an 82-70 lead with under four minutes to play in the third before the Celtics trimmed their deficit to six. The Heat outscored Boston 53-40 in the second half.
Heat star Tyler Herro ended his night with 24 points and 14 assists, hitting six of Miami’s 23 3-pointers — the most in a playoff game in franchise history.
“It seemed we couldn’t get them to miss,” said Jaylen Brown, who led the Celtics with 33 points. “They had a record-breaking night. … They made a lot of shots that usually we’re comfortable with.”
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. There’s a lot of history between these two franchises, especially recently.”
Jayson Tatum talks about how the Heat came out and responded in Game 2 pic.twitter.com/3VrzXT5te3
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) April 25, 2024
According to the Basketball-Reference database, Tatum has shot 36.1% from the field and 19.7% from 3-point range in the clutch the last three seasons.
Furthermore, his fourth-quarter production was lacking in Game 2, finishing 1-of-3 (33.3%) shooting from the floor and 2-of-4 (50%) at the foul line. The Heat outscored Boston 26-22 in the final frame.
Miami hosts the Celtics in Game 3 on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.
