Jayson Tatum scored 29 points, including six in overtime, as the Boston Celtics came back from down five in the final minute of regulation and scored a 122-119 OT win over the Orlando Magic. Tatum added nine rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a blocked shot in the clutch performance.
Tatum scored five points in the final 37 seconds to force overtime for the Celtics. First he made a step-back three to make it 112-110. Then, with the ball and a chance at the final shot of the game, he drained a mid-range jumper with just 3.8 seconds left to tie it.
Daniel Theis also came up big for the Celtics in the final minute of overtime. On the ensuing possession after blocking a Terrence Ross layup, he grabbed an offensive rebound then finished off Marcus Smart’s pass to put the C’s up five in the closing seconds.
Gordon Hayward had a monster first half with 18 points, leading the way for the Celtics as they hit the locker room with a 55-51 halftime lead. Orlando kept pace mainly by going 7-for-18 (39 percent) from three-point range as a team. Hayward finished as the Celtics’ leading scorer with 31 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Only Gordon Hayward scored more than Jayson Tatum against the Magic, finishing with 31 points. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
The third quarter had three lead changes as the Magic continued to battle, shaving the deficit to just one point at 87-86 C’s going into the fourth. After Boston went up 93-88 with 9:59 left in regulation, Orlando went on a 24-14 run to go up five in the final minute and force Tatum’s late comeback.
Up Next: The Celtics have only two games left until the 2020 NBA Playoffs. First they face the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday, then they finish the regular season against the Washington Wizards on Thursday.
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