How Celtics Star Jayson Tatum Overcame ‘Horrible’ Moment To Hit Buzzer-Beater

BOSTON — Like almost every kid, Celtics star Jayson Tatum envisioned hitting game-winning shots growing up.

But he definitely didn’t dream of what occurred minutes before he sunk a 29-foot, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to lift the Celtics to a 126-123 overtime win over the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden on Saturday night.

The five-time All-Star had a picture-perfect chance to end the game as time expired in regulation. He lost his defender around the free-throw line, giving him a look at a wide-open jumper. But Tatum bricked a shot that hit all backboard.

That brutal miss could have made Tatum tentative when faced with the same situation in the extra frame, but he seized the moment instead.

“It felt good to finally hit one of those,” Tatum said. “Obviously after the horrible miss I had at the end of regulation, so it felt good to bounce back and hit the shot for the win.”

Tatum didn’t need a pep talk after he failed in the fourth quarter to put the final nail in the pesky Raptors’ coffin. He knew that with the five-minute overtime, he had more opportunities to impact the game and deliver a win for the Celtics.

“I got a lot of problems in life, confidence has never been one of them,” Tatum said. “I work too hard at my craft. I played too much basketball to ever doubt the next shot, whether it’s an in-and-out miss or whether I miss the entire rim. I know what I’m capable of and you always believe that the next one is going in.”

Tatum hasn’t had too many moments like the one he experienced against the Raptors. He hit a game-winning layup with no time left on the clock in the first game of Boston’s 2022 playoff run. He also banked in a 3-pointer over Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2020-21 season opener — but there were still 0.4 seconds left after the ball went through the hoop.

Tatum watched his basketball idol Kobe Bryant deliver buzzer-beating baskets and he knows he can’t shy away from those situations whenever they present themselves.

“I’ve never been scared of the outcome, good or bad,” Tatum said. “My favorite players I grew up watching had moments like this where they made them and they missed them. But they were always willing to, regardless of how the game was going, be in that moment. Be brave, I guess, in those moments.”