Jayson Tatum’s second attempt at the NBA Skills Challenge wasn’t as successful as his first.
The Boston Celtics forward and reigning Skills Challenge champion was knocked out of Saturday’s competition at United Center by Indiana Pacers center Domantas Sabonis in the first round of this year’s event. Sabonis went on to the final round, where he was defeated by Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo.
Khris Middleton and Domantas Sabonis advance to the #TacoBellSkills challenge Semifinals! #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/XPguHib857
— NBA (@NBA) February 16, 2020
But Tatum was all smiles afterward.
“That was quick,” he joked on the sidelines following his elimination, per Celtics.com.
So, what happened?
“I didn’t get no practice in before,” Tatum said. “I shoulda practiced. They let you practice like 30 minutes before they open the doors or something. I got busy taking pictures and other stuff.”
More specifically, Tatum blamed his strategy late in the competition.
“I shoulda shot the second 3 quicker,” Tatum said. “I thought (Sabonis) was gonna miss, but he made it.”
Let that be a lesson to never count your chickens before they hatch.
