The Boston Celtics won the opening game of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night thanks to two huge baskets from former Duke star Jayson Tatum in overtime.
The Celtics trailed by three and needed to play defense with 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter, but an Indiana turnover and a 3-pointer from Jaylen Brown knotted the game at 117 apiece.
Boston, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, outscored Indiana 16-11 in the additional period thanks to 10 points from Tatum over the closing five minutes. Five of those points came at the free throw line, but the two buckets proved to be the deciding factor in the game.
With Boston trailing by two with 1:20 left on the clock, the Celtics fed Tatum in the paint. The former Blue Devil spun around contact and finished in mid-air to avoid a travel call and earn the trip to the line for an and-one.
After his free throw gave the Celtics the lead, a miscommunication during a screen left Tatum wide open on the next offensive possession. Derrick White found the former Duke star at the top of the key and, well, he did this.
BANG AGAIN 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Ucnc7OWYgU
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 22, 2024
Boston went on a 6-0 run, all because of Tatum, over that 40-second stretch. They won the game by five.
The Celtics look to get halfway to a series victory during Game 2 on Thursday night.