Boston is 3-1 and has won three straight after a one-point overtime win over a Brooklyn side that is still 0-4. The margin flatters nobody: the Celtics led by four with three seconds left in regulation and trailed by four in overtime.
The finish belonged to Tatum, and so did most of the night.
Jayson Tatum scored 40 on 10-of-20 shooting, with 18 of those points at the line on 22 attempts and no turnovers in 42 minutes. He scored six of Boston's eight overtime points, and ESPN and the Associated Press described the winner as a buzzer-beating jumper. Brooklyn trailed 117-113 with three seconds left in regulation, scored four to tie it, and then led 121-117 with 3:14 left in overtime. Nearly losing a game twice and winning it anyway is a skill, though not one that tends to carry over from night to night.
The center minutes are the question worth watching.
Mitchell Robinson started, played 25 minutes, went 1-of-4 at the line and finished at -17, the worst mark on the roster. He was also on the floor for the last five minutes of regulation. Luka Garza was +18 in 13 minutes, the best mark, and Neemias Queta went 3-of-3 in 15. One game against a winless opponent proves very little about any of them, but it does leave a 35-point gap in plus-minus between two players at the same position. Whether Joe Mazzulla moves those minutes around before Houston is the open question.
Two days off come before four games in seven nights.
Boston hosts Chicago in a Cup game on October 30, four days after beating the Bulls 134-99. Then it plays at Orlando on November 1 and at Houston on November 2, and Milwaukee visits on November 4. Derrick White went onto the injury report with a right hip issue on October 27, was cleared the same day, and played 33 minutes. Devin Carter is still out with an illness and has an estimated return date of November 8.
Who hit the game-winner for the Celtics against the Nets?
Jayson Tatum hit it and finished with 40 points. ESPN and the Associated Press reported it as a buzzer-beating jumper in overtime that gave Boston a 125-124 win.
When do the Celtics play next?
Boston hosts the Chicago Bulls on October 30 in a Cup game. After that it plays at Orlando on November 1 and at Houston on November 2.
