PHILADELPHIA — Since Jayson Tatum‘s rookie year in 2018, he and Jaylen Brown have played in more playoff games than anyone else in the NBA.
And that experience, the countless moments where they’ve been tested on the biggest stage, shined through Friday night against their big rivals in the 76ers.
Until Derrick White knocked down a pair of insurance free throws in the closing seconds, Tatum and Brown combined to score or assist on the first 27 points Boston scored in the final period, including both players making multiple dagger jumpers as the Celtics retook the series lead in this best-of-seven affair with a thrilling 108-100 win over Philadelphia in front of a raucous sellout crowd at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
“I just missed being a part of moments like that where it’s just a back-and-forth game,” said Tatum, who continued his return from last year’s torn Achilles tendon with 25 points, four rebounds, seven assists and a steal in 42 minutes, including the game-sealing 3-pointer off a White offensive rebound with 27 seconds to go.
“Sometimes we had some moments where things didn’t go our way and then we had to fight back and get the lead,” Tatum added. “And it was just a figure-it-out type of game. And make winning plays. The rebound [White] got. The steal that [Brown] got. [Payton Pritchard] hitting that big shot. Just as a basketball player, being on a team where everybody’s just contributing and making plays, I just missed being a part of moments like that.
“And it was just fun.”
It was a captivating game to watch, with Tatum and Brown — who also had 25 points along with seven rebounds, four assists, a steal and three blocks in 40 minutes — making one big play after another on one side while Tyrese Maxey, who finished with 31 points and six assists of his own, did the same thing for Philadelphia.
But on a night when both teams were throwing one haymaker after another at each other in the closing minutes of the game, it was Boston that found a way to make just enough plays — and, crucially, create a few critical second-chance opportunities by snagging offensive rebounds — to doom Philadelphia to a disappointing defeat.
“I think they hit four or five 3s off offensive rebounds, so that’s kind of doubly bad,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “It’s a battle out there.
“We knew that was a big, probably the number one key coming into the series, and we probably didn’t do enough.”
One thing everyone knew the Celtics would do plenty of was shoot 3-pointers. Yes, Boston went 13-for-50 from behind the arc in Game 2, but anyone who has watched coach Joe Mazzulla’s team play over the past few seasons would know that wouldn’t stop them from hoisting up plenty more in Game 3. And that’s exactly what the Celtics did, as they wound up 20-for-47 from behind the arc.
That last Tatum shot caused him to let out a massive roar in celebration and was the latest reminder of how much things have changed for Boston since he returned in early March after 10 months rehabilitating his injury.
“He’s been incrementally getting better and stronger and getting more physical,” Brown said. “You can see downhill, he’s getting downhill at a higher level than he did when he started. But, we do it as a team. We win as a team and lose as a team. So in those moments, I got nothing but trust for Jayson Tatum.
“So when it comes down to it, we’ve been through it, so we just got to make big-time plays.”
That’s what Boston managed to do late. That included White, who has seen his season-long 3-point shooting issues — he hit just 32% of his triples during the regular season — carry over to this series, where he is now 5-for-25 from 3-point range through the first three games. But that didn’t stop him from grabbing those two offensive rebounds in the closing minutes that led to crucial baskets that proved to be the difference in the game.
“Anybody that ever doubts D-White, they don’t really care about winning,” Mazzulla said. “There’s a competitive confidence there. There’s a character piece there.
“Those two rebounds were big-time rebounds, and he can impact winning in so many different ways, so I’m always going to double down on his competitive character, who he is.”
The Celtics have had plenty of opportunities to show their competitive character at this time of year over the past several seasons, as Tatum and Brown have repeatedly led them deep into the playoffs. Friday night, they took advantage of their latest chance to do so once again.
Now, as the series spins ahead to Game 4 on Sunday night, not only will the 76ers be focused on trying to bounce back, but they’ll also be hoping to get superstar center Joel Embiid back on the court, after he was upgraded to doubtful Thursday — two weeks after undergoing an emergency appendectomy in Houston — but was then ruled out two hours before tip Friday night.
“We always focus on what you could do better,” Maxey said. “I think just some really good things in this game. We were in a position to win this game. So it’s like watch the film tonight, tomorrow, get better at it and come in Sunday. Got to get one. Got to protect home court and even the series.
“I think this is really close to one series. You know what I’m saying? It could have went either way. But it’s fine. It’s fine. We’ll come back Sunday and try to get a W.”
