Game 5 needs to be Jayson Tatum's signature game for Celtics
BOSTON -- The Celtics will look to take their first series lead against the Bucks in Wednesday night's Game 5 at TD Garden. The second-round matchup is down to a best-of-three, and life would be a lot easier for the Celtics if they could get Jayson Tatum to play like Jayson Tatum.
After Al Horford had the game of his career in Monday night's Game 4 win in Milwaukee, Tatum needs to break out for his signature game on Wednesday.
Tatum has been the focus of the Milwaukee defense over the first four games of the series, and has seen his production dipp because of all that attention. After averaging 29.5 points off 46 percent shooting in Boston's first-round sweep of the Nets, Tatum has been held to 22.5 points off just 38 percent shooting in four games against the Bucks.
That included an absolute stinker in Game 3, when Tatum scored just 10 points off a woeful 4-for-19 from the floor. That performance stung even more when Boston lost the game by just two points, and Tatum was determined to return to his usual self in Game 4.
He answered with a 30-point performance, but it took Tatum a while to get going on Monday night, scoring just nine points in the first half. Much of his damage came in the fourth quarter after Horford brought the team back, with Tatum scoring 12 points in a late-game flurry to finish with 30 points off 24 shots in the Boston win.
"I played terrible in Game 3 and we almost had a chance to win, and that was really the toughest part, just knowing that," Tatum said after Game 4. "So I was just really eager to get back and be ready to play, whether it was scoring or not. Just coming out and just playing better on both ends of the floor and doing what I can.
"I still had 12 minutes left to put my mark on this game and try to help us win," he said of his scoring struggles through three quarters. "I'm a big believer in good or bad, whatever just happened, you can't change it. Even through the course of a game. Everybody talks about next play, next quarter. I always believe the next shot is going to go in, and my teammates believe in me. They want me to be aggressive and they trust I'm going to make the right play, and that's what I was trying to do."
Tatum is still affecting the game elsewhere when he isn't scoring. His passing remains strong and he pulled down 13 rebounds in addition to his 30 points on Monday night. He also continues to be solid on the defensive end, doing all the things that don't show up in the box score which lead to good things for the Celtics.
But after elevating to superstar status with his first-round performance against the Nets, Tatum is now learning that the hardest part of staying in that stratosphere is living up to the hype each and every night. That has proven difficult with all the defensive focus he's been getting in the second round.
Wesley Matthews has gotten most of the defensive duties against Tatum, while Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday are also spending time against him to give him different looks. It has worked thus far for the Bucks, keeping Tatum from having the ultra-efficient scoring performances we know he is capable of. His best game was Boston's Game 2 win, when he dropped 29 on 10-for-20 shooting, including 5-for-10 from downtown. That Celtics won by 23 for their easiest game of the series.
The Bucks tried sending George Hill on Tatum late in Game 4, but that proved fruitless. Tatum scored 10 straight for the Celtics in a 90-second span late in the game, doing so by aggressively attacking the rim. His first bucket of the frame was a driving layup, and he scored his next two buckets from inside the paint. That opened up the deep threat for Tatum, and he added a huge step back three to put Boston up 106-96.
After Grayson Allen answered with a three of his own, giving Milwaukee a sliver of hope, Tatum again went to the hole and put on a circus act with a falling layup off the glass with 2:50 left for his final bucket of the game.
Maybe that torrid stretch late in the game has provided Tatum with the key to unlock Milwaukee's stymieing defense. Matthews can't stay with him all game, and Tatum can easily get his shot off should Mike Budenholzer try the George Hill experiment again. Brook Lopez and Giannis will still provide resistance at the rim, but Tatum can throw down on either of them, as we've seen this series. The potential return of Robert Williams in Game 5 will also help Tatum's cause at the basket, so long as Williams is back to being a lob threat after his one-game break.
While Horford was the architect of Monday's comeback win, Tatum turned it on late when the Celtics needed him. His 30 points was in no way a stat-padding performance, because the Celtics needed those points to keep the Bucks at bay.
But the Celtics could be running away with this thing if Tatum could get going from the jump. He's been at his best in isolation situations beyond the arc, but he gets himself going by attacking the rim. He needs to take that aggressiveness we saw late in Game 4 and bring it to the start of Game 5.
It's time for Tatum to have his breakout game against the Bucks. Wednesday night would be a perfect time for it as the Celtics look to take control of the series.
