Fultz scores 17 in Summer League debut, but Tatum hits winning shot
SALT LAKE CITY » It was only the first game of Summer League, but Markelle Fultz and Jayson Tatum already reignited the rivalry between the Sixers and Celtics.
Tatum, the No. 3 pick in the draft, hit a 17-foot jumper with 5.7 seconds remaining and Fultz, the top overall selection which Boston traded away, had a reverse layup blocked at the buzzer and the Celtics took an 89-88 decision in the opening game of the Utah Summer League.
Fultz finished with 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting in 22 minutes. He made his first two shots of the game, a leaning mid-range shot and a long 3-pointer from straight away.
But Fultz, who was on a nine-win Washington team in his lone college season, also missed a free throw in the final minute and the Sixers were minus-12 when he was on the floor.
Tatum, who starred at Duke, ended up with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting. He scored eight of Boston’s last 10 points, including the winning basket.
Jaylen Brown, the No. 3 pick in last year’s draft, scored a game-high 29 points and was the one who got a piece of Fultz’s attempt to win the game.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot had 16 points for the Sixers, but was just 1-for-9 from beyond the arc.
Second-round pick Jonah Bolden, an Australian, made a strong case to be included on the NBA roster with an energetic nine points, four rebounds and four blocks in 22 minutes off the bench.