Tatum Continues Impressive Streak VS Pistons
The Boston Celtics beat Detroit 91 – 81 on Sunday night, getting payback for a November defeat against the Pistons. 19-year-old Jayson Tatum was the standout performer, due to his late three pointer that secured the result for Boston.
With 1.55 on the clock, he received the ball from Al Horford and calmly finished for a total of 11 points on the night.
The Celtics led by 16 with 9 minutes to play when Detroit scored 12 straight, causing a frantic end to the match.
Tatum made 3 of 5 attempted triples last night, and leads the NBA with 52.3% shooting from range. The next best is Al-Farouq Aminu at 48.1%.
This is surprising form for a player who only made 32.4% of shots beyond the arc while playing for Duke.
Half Tatum’s 46 of 88 3-pointers overall have come in the last 10 games. He is also proving to be an effective clutch time player.
After Sunday, he has 39 points during clutch time. As well as that, he’s shooting 66.7% in those situations, which league-leading form.
Celtics big man Al Horford has been impressed with the 19-year-old’s development.
“The one thing I’ve seen with Jayson is he’s able to make adjustments and learn. He just keeps learning, he keeps making the right reads. He still has the midrange game, but I think that he’s in a point where he feels more comfortable shooting 3s.
“When you’re as skilled as he is, and then you’re now in a high-intense, high-talented offense, you get a lot of open looks where you can get your feet set. And I think he’s doing a great job of realizing that teams are running him off the line but he can still get a great look off penetrating or relocating to the 3-point line.”
Horford scored 18 points, made three assist and 9 rebounds on the night. Kyrie Irving, playing without the mask, added 16 points. Jaylen Brown and Marcus smart scored 12 points each to help Boston to victory.
Futures
The Celtics, who lead the Eastern Conference, have won 7 of their last 9 matches. The struggling Pistons have now lost 6 straight games.
Boston plays in Chicago against the Bulls on Monday night, completing a back-to-back. The Celtics are + 900 to win the NBA championship, and + 200 to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Eastern Conference title.
