Jayson Tatum put the blame on himself following the Celtics' 130-122 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 Friday night.
"I gotta play better," Tatum said. "This one tonight is on me."
After a strong first half, in which he finished with 17 points on 4-of-6 (66.7%) shooting from three, Tatum struggled to get things going in the second half and fourth quarter, totaling just 12 points on 4-of-11 (36.4%) shooting from the field, and 0-for-5 from three. Tatum also had the chance to tie the game with 58 seconds remaining but couldn't get a three-pointer to fall. It was a good look for Tatum, who has been excellent in the clutch for the Celtics this season.
"I get a lot of credit when we win, and gotta take the blame when we lose," Tatum said postgame.
This is often the case in the NBA. When a team's number one scoring option struggles, the team feels it. Fortunately for the Celtics, they have more of a "1A" and "1B" when it comes to their scoring punch with Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Often this season, when one has struggled, the other has picked up the slack, but that was not the case in Game 3 – well, at least the second half of it. Brown finished the second half with just seven points, and was 0-for-2 from deep.
Brown played a bit conservative on Friday night, partially due to foul trouble, which he says affected his rhythm.
"I gotta be aggressive. That's the key for me," Brown said after the loss.
This is the key not only for Brown, but for Tatum as well. When these two are getting to the basket, good things happen. In Game 1, Tatum and Brown combined for 32 points in the paint on 16-of-28 (57.1%) shooting. It was a similar story in Game 2, as the Jays combined for 18 points in the restricted area alone on 9-of-12 (75%) shooting.
It's easy to become reliant on three-pointers, especially when the team shoots 15-of-25 (60%) from three in the first half, but when the shots stop falling, the team needs to adjust. The Celtics as a team shot 6-of-23 (26.1%) from deep in the second half, with the Jays going a combined 0-for-7.
Look for Boston to play fast and attack offensively the way we saw in Games 1 and 2. With a win on Sunday night, Boston has a chance to really put this series out of reach. Boston has done a great job of adjusting this season, and look for that trend to continue in Game 4.
