The Boston Celtics juggernaut rolls on. After beating second seed Raptors in Game 1, the Celtics have done it again. In a close encounter that went down to the last minutes of the fourth quarter, Boston came away with a 102-99 win thanks to heroics from Jayson Tatum.
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The young star was in fine form as he scored a playoff career-high 34 points to lead the Celtics. He also had a career-high in free throws, scoring 14/14 from the free-throw line. And during this performance, he set a few records as well. He became the second-youngest player, tied with teammate Jaylen Brown, to score 34 points in a playoff game for the Celtics.
FROM ELIAS: Jayson Tatum’s 34 points tonight in a W over the Raptors is T-2nd with teammate Jaylen Brown for the most by a 22 year old in Celtics postseason history.
Tom Heinsohn in 1957 is the only 22 year old to score more points in a Celtics postseason game (37). pic.twitter.com/0c1BzrJT7u
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 2, 2020
Jayson Tatum: Boston Celtics leader
After having two back to back 30 point games against the 76ers in the first round, Tatum had his third of the postseason tonight. And with this, he broke another record.
Jayson Tatum is the only player in Celtics postseason history with three 30-pt games prior to their 24th birthday.
Tatum is only 22 years old. pic.twitter.com/iFaAjnKVAZ
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 1, 2020
Kemba Walker struggled all night, shooting just 6/18 overall and also just 1/8 from three. Jaylen Brown also didn’t have the best game as he shot 5/13 from the field. But Tatum, along with a late barrage from Marcus Smart, helped the Celtics to cross the finish line with a win.
For the Raptors, their shooting struggles continued. They were let down by their stars as Kyle Lowry shot a miserable 5/16 including 0/7 from beyond the arc. Pascal Siakam went 6/16 from the field while Fred VanVleet shot just 8/22 tonight.
The Celtics made the most of the Raptors’ bad form as they went 2-0 in the series and now look favorites to advance to the next round. Tatum has looked like a real leader despite being just 22 and has elevated his game in the playoffs. The Raptors were favored to come out of the East, but now the Celtics look to spoil their party.
