Paul George praised Jayson Tatum’s decision-making, maturity and ability to deliver under pressure after the Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets 125-124 in overtime on Tuesday night, with Tatum hitting a 17-foot jumper at the buzzer.
“We got the ball to the MVP and he took us home,” George said when asked about the game-winning shot.
Tatum finished with 40 points on 10-of-20 shooting, added eight assists and went 18-of-22 from the free-throw line. George contributed 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as Boston improved to 3-1 with its third consecutive victory.
George, who has experienced his own return from injury, said Tatum’s game has evolved beyond scoring.
“I’ve been in his position being out from an injury. You come back to the game, you see the game differently,” George said. “From what I see as a maturity, you see a mature JT out there, makes the right plays.”
George highlighted Tatum’s efficiency and playmaking, pointing to how he uses the attention drawn by his scoring to create opportunities for teammates.
“He’s making the right plays and he’s getting assists and getting guys involved,” George said. “He knows the attention that he draws and he’s making the right plays.”
The forward added that Tatum appears to be anticipating plays earlier, describing a game that seems to be slowing down for the Celtics star.
“It’s just the game looks like it’s slowing down and, you know, he’s kind of in that zone of seeing plays ahead of time,” George said.
Tatum’s decisive shot also left an impression on George, who compared the feeling of a buzzer-beater to a walk-off home run or a game-winning touchdown.
“There’s no other feeling like it,” George said. “When you’re trusted, you kind of get into a flow state, you know, everything is calm and everything is slowed down.”
George said Tatum knew where to get the ball and shoot, adding that the crowd’s reaction brought out the emotion of the moment.
“JT knew to get to a spot and raise up,” George said. “And he did it confidently and the crowd erupts, and that’s when the emotion comes out.”
George also credited Boston’s bench for changing the game’s energy. He singled out Luka Garza, Sam Hauser and Baylor Scheierman for diving for loose balls, creating extra possessions and helping the Celtics get over a stretch when they struggled to build a larger lead.
“They came in, they ignited the crowd,” George said. “Those guys got us over the hump.”
Despite the win, George identified defensive areas that needed improvement, particularly on-ball defense, help defense and rebounding. Boston allowed Brooklyn to attack the rim and generate additional possessions, even as the Celtics recovered from a late deficit to force overtime.
George also said he felt good after playing through a back-to-back and extended minutes in overtime, although he emphasized the importance of finishing the season healthy.
“I’ve been feeling really good health-wise,” George said. “The main goal is to get to the end of the year and be healthy.”
Boston hosts the Chicago Bulls on Friday, while Brooklyn will look to secure its first win of the season against the Detroit Pistons that night.
