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Jayson Tatum tips his cap to the Nets following poor shooting performance in Celtics’ Game 1 loss
Tatum went 6-for-20 shooting from the field and didn't make a shot in the second half.
The Celtics couldn’t have asked for a much better start to Game 1 in their series against the Nets.
Boston jumped off to a 21-16 lead through one quarter of action and led by as many as 12 points in the first half, mostly keeping the Nets’ “Big 3” at bay offensively. The Celtics ultimately took a six-point lead into halftime, and Jayson Tatum looked to be the best star on the court in the first 24 minutes. He scored 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting with three assists in the first half.
The story of the second half was the complete opposite of the first. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden got off the scoring schneid while Tatum was ice cold. He missed all six of his second-half field goals and scored just seven points en route to a 104-93 loss for the Celtics.
Tatum, who finished the night shooting 6-for-20, could do nothing but tip his cap to Brooklyn’s defense.
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“They were physical,” Tatum told reporters after the game. “I felt like I had some good looks, tough shooting night. Give them credit, they competed. I didn’t get some to fall down like I wanted to but, Game 2 [we get another chance].”
The Nets accepted the credit they received from Tatum.
“He missed a couple he can make, for sure,’’ Durant said. “I think we did a good job of just making him shoot tough ones and being up there on the catch. He’s such a talented player, we can’t get discouraged when he makes those shots over us. He made a couple to start the game, tough 3s and tough fades, and we were able to take that storm and keep pushing through.’’
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Harden was also proud in his team’s defensive performance, but he’s ready for a potential bounce-back performance from Tatum in Game 2.
“As great of a scorer JT is, just trying to knock him off his spots a little bit,’’ Harden said. “Be physical with him, contest his shots and just show bodies. He likes the ball to dance on the wings and that post game, he’s pretty efficient, so we wanted to show him bodies, contest his shots. Everybody that had a crack at him did a solid job. Six-for-20, but we can’t be comfortable with that, he’s going to be better Game 2 and we will too.’’
Tatum wasn’t alone in the poor shooting night. Star guard Kemba Walker was 3-for-14 from the field with just seven points before adding a pair of baskets and free throws when the game was out of reach. He finished with 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting, and sharpshooter Evan Fournier was 3-for-10 from the field with just 10 points.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens thought his team executed well in all but one area.
“Scoring in the 90s isn’t going to be good enough,” Stevens said. “We’ve got to do a better job of attacking. They’re going to go on some runs, but they just can’t be 9-0. Our fight was right. Our competitiveness was right. Our focus defensively was right for the most part.”
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Looking ahead to Game 2, Tatum believes that he and the Celtics can leave that shooting night behind.
“Less turnovers,” Tatum said when asked what the Celtics need to do to win Game 2. “We’re going to hit more shots, I think. I think we defended well for most of the game. Move the ball a little bit more from us on offense at certain points. Not getting stagnant through certain stretches during the game.”
Game 2 will take place on Tuesday night in Brooklyn.
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