Jayson Tatum Thrills Twitter by Leading Celtics to Comeback Win vs. Warriors

Erin WalshJanuary 20, 2023

BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 19: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics shoots the ball during the game against the Golden State Warriors on January 19, 2023 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

On a night where Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown played far from their best, the Boston Celtics defeated the Golden State Warriors 121-118 in overtime at TD Garden on Thursday.

Tatum and Brown struggled shooting against the defending NBA champions. Tatum made 9-of-27 shots from the floor and 4-of-13 shots from deep, while Brown made 6-of-18 shots from the floor and 1-of-4 shots from deep.

Both players hit the accelerator down the stretch, though, helping the Celtics tie the game in the dying moments of the fourth quarter before powering the team to victory in overtime.

Brown finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists and one steal in the win, while Tatum finished with 34 points, 19 rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Thursday's win was a statement victory for Tatum, Brown and the Celtics, who are legitimate title contenders, and NBA Twitter lauded Tatum, in particular, for his late-game heroics:

Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Jayson Tatum shot like shit and had some awful turnovers. He's also gone for: 34 points 19 rebounds 6 assists 3 steals And he's played the final 41 minutes of this game without a rest.

Dan Greenberg @StoolGreenie
Tatum is giving the exact performance everyone said he needed to give and people are in my mentions saying he was "terrible" and had an "awful" game 34/19/6/3 with huge buckets down the stretch. Please get a life

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Yaya Dubin @JADubin5
Boston winning a game where Tatum-Brown combine to shoot 15-45 is pretty impressive, even if it is against the Road Warriors, who are basically the Rockets.

Ashley Nicole Moss @AshNicoleMoss
Jayson Tatum is HOOPIN' HOOPIN'

Marc D'Amico @Marc_DAmico
An unmistakably loud MVP statement from Jayson Tatum during a win over the defending champs on national television: 34 points (game high) 19 rebounds (game high/career high) 6 assists 3 steals (game high - tie) <a href="https://t.co/jxkOggyhTW">pic.twitter.com/jxkOggyhTW</a>

StatMuse @statmuse
Jayson Tatum tonight: 34 PTS 19 REB 6 AST 12-12 FT First Celtics player ever with that statline. <a href="https://t.co/RMgxiDlLcD">pic.twitter.com/RMgxiDlLcD</a>

Kendrick Perkins @KendrickPerkins
Getting that damn monkey off your back in a finals rematch gotta be a damn good feeling for Tatum and the Celtics! Carry on…

Chris Brockman @chrisbrockman
MVP night from Tatum. Again. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/celtics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#celtics</a>

Dave Peck @DaveLPeck
Tatum somehow makes 34/19 look shaky, but a true team (that's t-e-a-m, team) performance. That's promising.

Brad Carson @BradCarson
Jason Tatum is the truth. What a player. Cool person with the moment there for EJ's mom.

Trevor Hass @TrevorHass
Jayson Tatum is so good that 34 points, 19 rebounds and 6 assists is an "off night."

Tatum has taken another step forward this season, and he's legitimately in the MVP conversation, entering Thursday's game averaging 31.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 43 games while shooting 47.1 percent from the floor and 35.2 percent from deep.

The Celtics improved to 34-12 on the season with the win. They currently have the best record in the NBA and look like true championship contenders ahead of the NBA's Feb. 9 trade deadline.