The Boston Celtics are getting so many high-level contributions up and down the lineup in their series against the Atlanta Hawks, that it’s difficult to pin down a singular star. But Jayson Tatum, thanks to a dominant second quarter and a team-high 29 points, gets the nod as the 98.5 The Sports Hub Player of the Game for Tuesday night’s 119-106 win in Game 2.
Tatum started off 2-for-3 from the floor for just four points in the first quarter, and played just 7:26 in the opening frame, the fewest of all five Celtics starters. But the second quarter is where Tatum took over. In the second alone, Tatum scored 14 points – as many as the Hawks’ Trae Young and Dejounte Murray combined – while shooting a nice 6-for-9 from the field.
He also found his stroke from three-point range, knocking down 2-of-3 attempts in the second quarter. It was on the strength of Tatum’s scoring that the Celtics built to a 12-point lead at halftime. The Celtics never trailed after the first quarter, and Tatum was of course a huge reason why.
