Tatum, Brown prove they’re NBA’s best duo in Celtics’ win vs. Lakers

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Tatum, Brown prove they’re NBA’s best duo in Celtics’ win vs. Lakers originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

BOSTON — Saturday night’s showdown between the Celtics and Lakers wasn’t just another game. It was much more than that. It was a clash between the NBA’s most heated rivals, two of the league’s hottest teams over the last month, and two teams that could potentially meet in the 2025 NBA Finals.

So it was no surprise that the Celtics leaned heavily on their two superstars — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown — and they answered the challenge in a 111-101 win at TD Garden.

“Today was not one of those regular season, normal games where it’s whatever,” Brown said postgame. He later added: “Tonight was definitely (different). Celtics-Lakers. Two big-time teams. We wanted to win tonight. And we did what it took to win.”

Tatum scored 40 points with 12 rebounds and eight assists. He played 45 of a possible 48 minutes, exiting the game just briefly in the second quarter and playing the entire second half. Brown poured in 31 points with six rebounds and three steals in 42 minutes.

“There have been times when they’ve been called upon to make plays, and they both have made plays, whether it’s for themselves or for others, and they’re taking on that challenge, and they’re doing a great job of getting to their spots, and making the play that’s necessary,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said postgame.

“Jaylen had two turnovers, which is great. JT had three, which is great. Just their ability to make plays for themselves and their teammates is important. Sometimes, the game calls upon them to be great, and we need them to do it, and they both delivered.”

Tatum’s offense was key throughout the game. The Celtics trailed by as many as eight points in the first quarter, but they quickly stormed back thanks to a couple 3-pointers from Tatum and went into the second quarter all tied at 33. Tatum ended the first half strong, hitting a 3-pointer to put Boston up 56-54 with 1:12 left, then he went coast-to-coast for a dunk in the final seconds to give Boston a 58-54 halftime edge.

The game was…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/tatum-brown-prove-theyre-nbas-113441895.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2025-03-09 11:34:00

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