Jayson Tatum: Celtics Have 'Got to Take Care of the Ball' After Blowout Game 2 Loss

After the Boston Celtics' Game 2 blowout loss against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday in the 2022 NBA Finals, star forward Jayson Tatum believes he knows the solution for how the team can bounce back.

"It's simple, we've just got to take care of the ball. We've done it. We're a really good team when we take care of the ball," Tatum told reporters. "But we have those lapse, the snowball effect where we pile on turnovers and dig ourself into a hole."

The Celtics committed 18 turnovers on Sunday. Tatum had the second-highest total on the team with four giveaways, behind Marcus Smart's five.

In Thursday's Game 1, the Celtics committed only 12 turnovers as they went on to steal a road victory.

Boston also struggled mightily with its efficiency on Sunday, shooting 40.5 percent from three-point range but just 37.5 percent overall. Tatum led the team with 28 points on 8-of-19 shooting with six three-pointers. Jaylen Brown added 17 points, but he shot 5-of-17. Derrick White was the only other player to score in double figures with 12 points off the bench, but he went 4-of-13.

The Celtics were done in by a disastrous third quarter that saw them get outscored 35-14. The Warriors led by as many as 29 in the second half as Boston head coach Ime Udoka was forced to empty his bench early in the fourth quarter.

Returning home for Wednesday's Game 3 at TD Garden should help the Celtics put forth a cleaner performance.