Now, that’s how you start a playoff series.
Thanks to an absurd buzzer-beating layup from All-Star forward Jayson Tatum, the Celtics nabbed a 115–114 victory over the Nets in a wild Game 1 inside TD Garden on Sunday afternoon.
Tatum’s clutch basket came after the Celtics secured the rebound following a missed Kevin Durant three with 15 seconds remaining. The ball found its way into the hands of Jaylen Brown with a little under 10 seconds to go before the All-Star kicked it out to Marcus Smart at the three-point line.
Smart faked a shot attempt, sending two Nets defenders flying, before penetrating the lane and finding a cutting Tatum who caught the ball in the paint, spun past Kyrie Irving and converted the shot as the clock hit zero. The chaotic finish set the stage for what many expect will be a hotly-contested first-round series between two of the NBA’s most offensively-gifted teams. Tatum finished the game with 31 points while Brown recorded 23 points; the young stars also combined for nine boards, 11 assists and five steals. Irving led all scorers with 39 points on 12-of-20 shooting, and Durant chipped in 23 points on 24 shots.