The Boston Celtics could not have asked for a better time for Jayson Tatum to rediscover his best form than on Monday night. The 24-year-old, who has blossomed into one of the NBA’s biggest stars this season, scored 31 points as the Celtics dominated the Miami Heat 102-82 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
After a disappointing Game 3 in which he scored just 10 points as the Heat comfortably won, Tatum looked back to his best, racking up eight rebounds and five assists as well. The result levels the best-of-seven series at 2-2, with the two sides facing off next in Game 5 in Miami on Wednesday.
When asked about his Game 3 performance, Tatum said that he felt like he let his teammates down, but he thinks he does a really good job of sleeping it off, regardless of having made 10 points or 46 points.
He went on to say that he is a big believer that you can’t change what happened, so he didn’t doubt himself. Tatum added that they definitely knew how important the game was, so everyone simply had to come up with a different sense of urgency.
Throughout the regular season, Boston’s defense had been the No. 1 ranked in the NBA, and it showed why early on in Game 5, even without the NBA’s defensive player of the year, Marcus Smart.
Miami missed 15 of their first 16 shots as the Celtics stifled the Heat, allowing them to build a 26-4 lead and cruise to a comfortable victory late on. Boston led by 27 points in the second quarter and as many as 32 points in the third. For the Heat, it was a disappointing outing after an impressive Game 3 performance on the road.
