Jayson Tatum was not his usual self in Gm3 loss vs the Miami Heat Saturday night. Tatum could not help the Celtics get over the hump. He only made 3-of-14 shots and scored 10 points, while committed six turnovers.
He and Jaylen Brown combined for 13 of Boston’s 23 turnovers, which led to Miami’s 33 points. In the post-game presser, Tatum took ownership of his shortcomings Saturday night vs Miami’s stingy defense.
“Six turnovers and no field goals in the second half, that is unacceptable,” he told reporters. “Honestly, I’ve got to play better. I feel like I left the guys hanging tonight. That’s on me. I acknowledge that. That was a tough one.”
The Celtics have gone through several ups and down through the first 12 quarters of the series vs Miami. The Heat has only won two of those quarters, but they did it in a blowout fashion.
On the same note, Tatum had similarly good production throughout the 2022 NBA playoffs. In the latest game, the Celtics were able to return from a 25-point first-half deficit, but, Tatum’s ineffectiveness cost them when it mattered the most.
The Duke product is a +14.5 in the clutch minutes he played in the postseason this year. However, he only scored one point in the fourth quarter last night. Tatum is averaging 7.4 points in the fourth quarter through 14 games in the playoffs.
The Cs superstar will likely look to bounce back next game as the Celtics are playing great after losses in these playoffs. Game 4 is on Monday.
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