Jayson Tatum turns in another dreadful first half for Celtics

BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics played 24 minutes of basketball in the first half of Thursday's Game 6. Jayson Tatum played 21 of them.

He hit zero shots from the field.

In a series that's been marked by Tatum having slow starts, the First Team All-NBA forward scored one single point.

That point came from the free-throw line, and he didn't even get there himself. Tatum took the free throw after a take foul was called on Joel Embiid against Marcus Smart just 2:45 into the game.

That free throw got Tatum on the board. But he'd miss a shot on the ensuing possession after the make. Then he missed a 3-pointer a few minutes later. He'd miss two more shots in the quarter to finish 0-for-4.

It got worse in the second quarter, when Tatum went 0-for-6 from the field and 0-for-3 from behind the arc. He didn't get to the free-throw line, leaving him with just that single point at halftime.

Tatum was 0-for-10 from the field and 0-for-4 from 3-point range. He was 1-for-9 in the first half in Game 4, and he was 3-for-11 in Game 5 after an 0-for-6 start.

Al Horford, coming off an 0-for-7 performance in Game 5, remained cold, going 0-for-3 from the field with zero points.

Tatum and Horford both contributed in other ways, with Tatum recording seven rebounds, six assists and two blocks. Horford had five rebounds and an assist while defending Embiid.

That helped the Celtics carry a 50-43 lead into halftime, along with Marcus Smart's 15 points, Malcolm Brogdon's 13 points, and Jaylen Brown's 11 points.

But the slow starts for Tatum have grown beyond concerning this series, with Thursday night being the lowest of the lows.

In this one, the slump extended through the third quarter, but Tatum exploded for 16 points in the fourth quarter, helping lead the Celtics to a win that forced a Game 7.