The end of the third quarter of the NBA All-Star Game belonged to Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The two teammates usually destroy opponents together, but thanks to getting drafted on opposite teams for the marquee event, it offered up a unique opportunity for the duo to take each other on.
Tatum and Brown played one-on-one, which you can watch here, while the other eight players on the floor stood off to the side and watched. Brown won the first round with a step-back baseline jumper as Tatum coughed the ball up out of bounds with his initial chance.
Brown, who was wearing a facial mask after sustaining a maxillary facial fracture due to a collision with Tatum, then drilled a deep 3-pointer over Tatum and celebrated with the “too small” gesture.
Tatum drummed up a terrific response in his next attempt going at Brown. He swished a step-back 3-pointer of his own to get a little revenge.
Brown messed up the last chance to get the better of his teammate, though. Brown forgot how much time there was left before the third-quarter buzzer sounded and didn’t get a shot off, much to the delight of Tatum.
“Just try to be competitive a little bit. Try to stay safe, but have some fun with it and show JB he can’t score on me,” Tatum told TNT’s Ernie Johnson on the broadcast after the game.
Tatum ended up with the last laugh as he scored an NBA All-Star Game record 55 points in the win for Team Giannis and was named the All-Star Game’s MVP. Brown fared well, too, posting a double-double of 35 points and 14 rebounds.
It was a strong showing from both of them as Tatum and Brown stole the spotlight amongst all the stars.
