NEW YORK – Jayson Tatum had only one thing on his mind – do not lose at home.
On Jan 10, he drained a go-ahead lay-up then drilled a dagger three-pointer as the Boston Celtics beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-120 in overtime in a battle of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) best teams.
Elsewhere, a duel between the league’s worst produced its own thrills as San Antonio’s superstar rookie Victor Wembanyama notched his first career triple-double to lead the Spurs to a 130-108 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
At TD Garden, Tatum scored 26 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and the Celtics improved to 18-0 at home, a first for the storied franchise.
“You live for those moments, you want to do whatever you can to help your team win. In the back of my mind, I didn’t want to lose at home yet,” the forward said.
Jaylen Brown added 35 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics. Jrue Holiday scored 12, drilling a three-pointer that put the Celtics up 111-109 with 25.9 seconds left in regulation.
Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards drained two free throws to tie it and Tatum missed a desperation shot at the buzzer.
Edwards finished with 29 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 25 with 13 rebounds for Western Conference leaders Minnesota, whose 26-11 record is second only to East-leading Boston’s 29-8.
The Timberwolves cut a 10-point deficit to just one at half-time and took the lead on Towns’ three-pointer to open the third quarter. They were up 106-97 with 3min 35sec left in regulation, but Boston then rallied.
“The crowd got behind us, the energy got going. That was a fun ball game towards the end,” the 25-year-old Tatum said.
Over at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, French prodigy Wembanyama scored 16 points with 12 rebounds and 10 assists, notching his first triple-double in just 21 minutes on the floor.
He connected on just six of his 16 shots from the field, but made four of five free throws and showed off his sophisticated playmaking skills as he surpassed his previous season high of seven assists.
“He’s a very good passer. He was a good passer before he got here,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Six days past his 20th birthday, Wembanyama became the fifth-youngest NBA player to post a triple-double, after Josh Giddey, LaMelo Ball, Markelle Fultz and Luka Doncic – who were all 19.
“It’s beautiful when we play like that as a team and get it all together. My teammates did the right cuts and made the right shots,” said Wembanyama, who said his 10 assists were the product of cohesive offence by the team against a Detroit defence focused on him.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers have signed forward Kawhi Leonard to a contract extension, without revealing the length or financial terms.
Multiple outlets reported it is a three-year, US$152.4 million (S$202.7 million) deal that runs through 2026-27.
Leonard joined the Clippers as a free agent in 2019 and in August 2021 signed a four-year, US$176.3 million extension that contained an opt-out clause after this season.
Signing the 32-year-old to an extension now assures the two-time NBA champion is on the roster when the team move into their new arena in Inglewood, California, next season. AFP, REUTERS
