Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum had a chance to make a statement on Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors. And while he played well enough to notch a game-high 32 points, the Dubs still prevailed with a 118-112 victory in Beantown.
An early November contest is rarely the time for statements, yet there was some added drama to this 2022 NBA Finals rematch. Warriors head coach and Team USA skipper Steve Kerr was criticized for keeping Tatum on the bench for much of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Even though the Americans won gold during the Summer Games, Celtics fans greeted Kerr with a plethora of boos.
Many thought Tatum’s first meeting with Kerr’s Warriors would be his time to show the veteran coach where he went wrong. The five-time All-Star wasn’t helping his case in the first half, converting on just two of his seven shots from the field and generating four turnovers to boot.
The next 24 minutes were different. Tatum recorded 24 points (and zero turnovers) while shooting 50% from deep. He got more accustomed to the Warriors’ heavy defensive pressure and knocked down enough shots to keep the Green Team in the game.
Although the C’s erased a 14-point deficit and regained the lead down the stretch, they couldn’t hold off future Hall of Famer Stephen Curry, who notched 10 points, two rebounds, and two assists in the fourth quarter. The Warriors superstar finished with a team-high 27 points and nine assists.
Despite the defeat, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was proud of Tatum’s strong performance, via NBC Sports Boston.
“I thought he did great. I thought he just gave the game what it needed, whether it was passing, whether it was screening, whether it was finishing. I mean, [he shot] 50% from the field, 50% from three,” Mazzulla said. “I thought he took on the challenge of the physicality, and changed up how he was attacking, and found his teammates and made shots when he needed to.”
Did Celtics’ Jayson Tatum use Olympics as motivation against the Warriors?
Tatum is off to a great start this season, as the St. Louis native has averaged 30 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.5 assists through nine games. Those numbers are enough to put him into the MVP conversation and further his “revenge tour.”
However, the reigning NBA champion isn’t concerned with personal accolades or embarrassing Kerr. Instead, he wants to take things one step at a time and get his squad back into the mix for another title, per Justin Turpin of WEEI.
Related Boston Celtics NewsArticle continues below
“Just another Wednesday. Another game,” Tatum told the media when asked if the Paris debacle was on his mind before going up against the Warriors. “Another opportunity to come in and try to be the best player I can be. Another day to just try to get a win.”
This steady mindset has worked well for Tatum and company so far. After losing to the red-hot Warriors, the Celtics still sit at 7-2, which is the same record they had through nine games during the storied 2023-24 campaign. Meanwhile, Golden State has rattled off five straight wins and is 7-1. At this same point last season, they were 6-2 before suffering a rough six-game losing streak.
Boston will look to bounce back at home on Friday evening against the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets who, at 4-4, have exceeded early expectations. The Warriors will continue an extremely difficult road trip with games against two of the top teams in the NBA. First, they travel to Ohio to face the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday and then head south to square off with the 7-1 Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.