Jayson Tatum dominated the Bucks and posterized Giannis Antetokounmpo.
During the second quarter of the Celtics' convincing 139-118 Christmas Day win over the Bucks at TD Garden, Marcus Smart fed Tatum, who was charging into the lane.
When Tatum received the pass, he threw it down — right in Giannis' face.
The Garden went wild, as one might expect.
While the MVP won't be handed out for months, Tatum is making an increasingly strong case with each big performance in a crucial game. His 41-point effort against the Bucks Sunday is the latest example of Tatum showing up in the biggest spots so far this season.
The Celtics have now won two straight after snapping their losing streak Friday.
Though Antetokounmpo dropped 27 points on the Celtics, the Celtics largely kept the two-time MVP away from the hoop, where he's most dangerous. Just eight of Giannis' 22 shots were from inside the paint.
It shouldn't have been a surprise the Celtics contained Giannis. They're undefeated this season (7-0) when going up against the league's biggest stars.
It will take more than some strong early season performances to entirely erase Tatum's lackluster effort during the NBA Finals. But it can't hurt.
