Tatum just beats buzzer in thriller
JAYSON Tatum drained a three-pointer with less than two seconds remaining to give the Boston Celtics a thrilling 110-107 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in a heavyweight Eastern Conference clash at the weekend.
The 571st meeting between the two NBA rivals lived up to its billing with the lead changing hands five times in an enthralling contest which ebbed and flowed before Tatum’s stunning late winner.
Tatum had struggled to find his range throughout the game at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center but finally delivered when it mattered to give Boston victory on a night that saw Sixers talisman Joel Embiid score 41 points in vain. Embiid almost forced overtime following Tatum’s late threepointer, launching a full-length three-pointer which found the net but was just a fraction too late to beat the buzzer.
“I wasn’t playing my best, just wanted to find a way to impact the game at both ends,” said Tatum, who finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds and six assists after going 7-for-17 from the field.
“It’s tough to win in this league. We just showed tonight our resilience and ability to figure it out.”
The Celtics had overturned a 15-point deficit in the third quarter to put themselves in a winning position, with Al Horford coming up big with 15 points to help spark the rally.
The victory extended Boston’s lead at the top of the Eastern Conference at 44-17, one game ahead of Milwaukee, second with 42-17. Philadelphia remain third on 39-20 following the loss.
Elsewhere, Memphis took down the top-ranked Denver Nuggets 112-94, the New York Knicks beat New Orleans 128-106 and the Hornets stung the Miami Heat 108-103.