Jayson Tatum Had Hilarious Reason For Missing Triple-Double Vs. 76ers

The Celtics stretched their NBA-best winning streak to nine games by defeating the 76ers at TD Garden on Tuesday night.

Jaylen Brown led Boston with 31 points followed by Jayson Tatum with 29.

With 2:04 minutes left in the game and Boston up 18, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla decided to rest Brown, Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White.

Tatum finished the night with 11 rebounds and eight assists in 35 minutes. Two assists shy of his third career triple-double, NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin asked Tatum if he asked Mazzulla to stay in.

“Nah. I turn 26 on Sunday,” Tatum told Chin, per team-provided video. “I’m getting old. I need some rest.”

The Sixers cut the Celtics’ lead to two with 8:49 left to play in the fourth, causing Boston to take a timeout. The Green Team responded with a 15-0 run to put the game away.

Tatum said the team has learned from their mistakes and experiences from last season.

“I think we’ve done a really good job going over those situations in practice, watching it in film,” Tatum said. “Recognize in real-time, when we’re doing something we’re not supposed to do.”

Boston shot 52.7% from the field despite going 5-for-22 from downtown. The Celtics also scored 64 points in the paint which was a clear factor in the win.

The NBA-best Celtics will look to extend their win streak to 10 when they host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.