Jayson Tatum is fueled with a desire to prove his haters wrong. After getting benched in the Olympics, the Boston Celtics star is back to his comfort zone, as he looks to help the C’s defend the crown they won by defeating Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals.
Jayson Tatum was lights out in the Boston Celtics’ win over the New York Knicks
And what a perfect way for Tatum to make a strong statement on the opening day of the 2024-25 NBA season than going off right away in Tuesday’s 132-109 win against the New York Knicks at TD Garden.
Tatum and the Celtics broke the game open in the first half, thanks in large part to his hot hands. Before halftime, Tatum had already scored 25 points on the strength of his six 3-pointers. According to StatMamba, that’s the most 3-pointers ever in a half during a season opener.
Tatum ended the night with 37 points. He was in the zone and felt untouchable, as he went 14-for-18 from the field and 8-for-11 from the 3-point area. He also let his teammates join the party, as he recorded 10 assists in 30 minutes. As a team, the Celtics shot 50.5 percent from the field and 47.5 percent from deep. They tied the NBA record as well with 29 3-pointers despite missing all of their final 13 3-point tries.
Coming up next for Tatum and the Celtics is a road game on Thursday against the Washington Wizards.
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