Duke basketball standouts remain at the forefront in the early stages of the NBA season.
Aside from a stellar performance from Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, it was a quiet night for Duke basketball players on Opening Night of the 2020-21 NBA season.
The same cannot be said for Wednesday evening.
Blue Devils galore stuffed the stat sheet and helped lead their teams to victory, but none were more impressive than Boston Celtics standout Jayson Tatum.
Fresh off an offseason in which the 22-year-old rising star agreed to a max contract extension, the All-NBA selection is ready to take the next step in his promising NBA career.
Despite a below-average shooting night from an efficiency standpoint, Tatum delivered the biggest shot of the day with a game-winning 3-pointer over two-time MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, giving Boston (1-0) a 122-121 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks (0-1).
Tatum RISES and DRAINS the CLUTCH triple on TNT! #KiaTipOff20 pic.twitter.com/OZqYbIicJh
— NBA (@NBA) December 24, 2020
Tatum had pushed the Celtics’ lead to two, 119-117, with 1:24 remaining in regulation, but a timely 3-pointer for the Bucks gave Milwaukee a lead in the final seconds.
Following a timeout, Antetokounmpo was switched onto Tatum, and the former Duke basketball stud went into an isolation matchup with the reigning MVP as the seconds counted down.
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It wasn’t the smoothest looking shot in the world, but the bank was open on a Wednesday night in Boston.
Milwaukee and Antetokounmpo had a shot to tie the game with 0.4 seconds remaining following a questionable foul call, and two free throws were awarded to the NBA superstar.
Antetokounmpo made the first but then the second free throw came up short as time expired, and Boston left the TD Garden with a victory.
Duke basketball standout poised for a monster season
Jayson Tatum is coming off the best season of his young professional career, and he has the chance to surpass that with the early-season injuries Boston is dealing with.
The Celtics are without starting point guard Kemba Walker and will rely more on their All-Star forward who put forth 30 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block against Milwaukee.
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Tatum shot 12-of-28 from the field and 6-of-13 from 3-point range but did not attempt a single free throw in the win.
It’ll be another national stage for the former Duke basketball star as Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics will be back on the floor on Christmas Day against the Brooklyn Nets (5:00pm EST, ABC).