Jayson Tatum had one of the worst shooting performances of his career against the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals, but he still found ways to help the Boston Celtics engineer a historic comeback and win the series opener 120-108 on Thursday night.
Tatum shot 3-of-17 from the field, including a 1-of-5 mark from 3-point range. Instead of trying to force the issue offensively on a night where shots just weren't falling, Tatum trusted his teammates to carry the scoring load.
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He showed off his much-improved playmaking skills with a game-high 13 assists. It was the most assists by a player making his NBA Finals debut, eclipsing the previous mark of 12 set by a trio of Hall of Fame guards.
- Jayson Tatum, 13 (2020 vs. Warriors)
- John Stockton, 12 (1997 vs. Bulls)
- Michael Jordan, 12 (1991 vs. Lakers)
- Isiah Thomas, 12 (1988 vs. Lakers)
Tatum dished out these assists while committing only two turnovers.
Boston Celtics
It goes without saying that the Celtics need Tatum to play a lot better offensively to win this series. The C's are unlikely to have another game in this series where they shoot 9-of-12 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter.
The chances of Tatum bouncing back in Game 2 are pretty good. He has responded very well after bad performances in the 2022 playoffs. If this trend continues Sunday night, the Celtics likely will take a 2-0 series lead to TD Garden in Boston.