Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics had one of the most exhilarating regulation games of the season at the Wells Fargo Center tonight. The Philadelphia 76ers, who have come into their own as title contenders as of recent, lost 110-107 on their home floor after an incredible Tatum game-winner.
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Celts head coach, Joe Mazzalla, drew up a play that saw Tatum get the ball in the frontcourt from a pinpoint pass from Marcus Smart. This led to him hitting a snatchback 3 near the top of the key over his defender and draining it to give his team a 3-point lead. Joe would go on to admit that he stole that SLOB play from none other than Brad Stevens.
JAYSON TATUM GAME-WINNER 🍿😱 pic.twitter.com/49lr7GiBi6
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 26, 2023
With less than 1.5 seconds left on the clock and no timeouts left for Doc Rivers and company, Joel Embiid got the ball at near full court and heaved it. Somehow, Embiid made the shot but was just a tad bit late in getting it off.
Jayson Tatum on Joel Embiid’s shot
Joel Embiid didn’t seem to even care about staying on the court after making this incredible shot as he headed for the tunnel almost immediately. He knew that he hadn’t gotten it off in time and the NBA officials confirmed this after their replay.
Following the game, Embiid said that shot was the ‘Story of my life’. He wasn’t all too somber however as he said playing the way he did made him feel as though the Sixers were figuring it out. He also talked about how he spoke to Tyrese Maxey at the end of the game about how he can better utilize him, leading to an incredibly constructive conversation.
Jayson Tatum, during his post game press conference, was asked about how felt regarding the Embiid heave. The Jordan athlete would go on to reveal that he had a strong suspension that it wouldn’t count but wasn’t 100% sure on it.
Tatum on the Embiid shot: “Shit, I turned around. I ain’t even looked. I seen him take a dribble & I just turned around like he ain’t even got time left. He ended up hitting it, but I kinda had a feeling it wasn’t gonna count. But it’s the NBA where anything can happen, right?”
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) February 26, 2023
Despite a rather drab lackluster game from Tatum (aside from his timely tip in at the 1:00 mark and his game-winner), the Celts managed to pull away in front of one of the most hostile home crowds in the league. Boston is currently the number one team in the league with a record of 43-17.
Also read: Jayson Tatum Net Worth 2023: Boston Celtics Star’s Money and How the Man Gets It
