Tatum Outduels Davis as Celtics Win in Overtime
The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers faced off in an overtime battle fitting of their historic rivalry. Here’s what you missed and what it means for both teams.
A Wild Ride
The Celtics jumped out to an early lead, getting offense from nearly all of their starters. Anthony Davis started out cold for the Lakers, who went into the first-period break with a 13-point deficit. Things were closer in the second quarter, with Boston only winning by two this time. The Celtics looked to be in control as they took a 15-point lead into halftime.
It was more of the same early in the second half, with an incredibly difficult floater from Tatum seemingly seeling it in the middle of the third period. With a 20-point lead, it was certain to be the Celtics’ night.
Then the Lakers went on a 25–4 run over the span of nine and a half minutes, giving them a lead with eight minutes left in the fourth. Down the stretch, it was a two-fronted battle as Davis and LeBron James couldn’t be stopped, but then again, neither could Tatum or Jaylen Brown. The teams went back and forth, trading big offensive blows.
The Final Minutes of the Fourth
The Lakers made a couple of crucial mistakes in one series of possessions with 6:30 remaining in the fourth. With an eight-point lead, Russell Westbrook lost the ball under the basket, leading to a four-on-one fast break for Boston. Austin Reaves compounded this mistake for Los Angeles by committing a light foul on Tatum and turning the layup into an and-one. This was a five-point swing at the wrong time, but the Lakers would bounce back and inevitably get the lead back to eight with only 2:38 left in regulation.
That’s when Tatum hit another dagger from three, a stepback over Davis, cutting the lead to five. Two minutes later, he hits another clutch jumper, this time, a baseline fadeaway of James to tie the game at 108. LeBron would miss the go-home three from 27 feet, and the game would go into overtime.
The Lakers’ Offense Loses Steam in Overtime
The Lakers’ offense looked out of sorts in overtime. It was Westbrook and Reaves taking the majority of the shots early on. Davis didn’t attempt a shot in overtime until there was just over a minute left to play. A Grant Williams three put the Celtics up 115–114. Brown and Tatum would make sure that lead held as they put the game on ice, scoring Boston’s final seven points en route to the 122–118 victory.
Stars of the Game
Tatum had 44 points tonight in another jaw-dropping performance. Davis and James were impressive as well, scoring 37 and 33 points, respectively. Brown was the next highest-scoring Celtic with 25.
These two teams don’t face off again until January 28th, so it will be interesting to look back on this matchup then.
Kev Nivek is an author, editor, and podcast host covering the NBA, the NFL, and college basketball. When he’s not covering sports, he’s writing short sci-fi horror, hiking in the hills, or firing up a steak on his state-of-the-art charcoal grill. You can find all of his projects here.
