A former Duke basketball star outdueled LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The game of the night in the NBA renewed one of the league’s best rivalries between the Boston Celtics (10-8) and the Los Angeles Lakers (15-6), and a former Duke basketball star was the centerpiece.
Jayson Tatum, in his third game back after testing positive for COVID-19, outperformed LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but the Boston Celtics were not able to come away with a much-needed victory.
The former Blue Devil posted 30 points, a game-high, along with nine rebounds, three assists, and two steals on 12-of-18 shooting from the field, 2-of-3 from three-point range, and 4-of-6 from the free throw line.
One of Tatum’s assists could be considered as one of the best passes of the season as he found Robert Williams with a no-look, behind-the-back pass, falling out of bounds.
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However, the Celtics failed to get the ball in the hands of their best player as Anthony Davis was stripped with less than ten seconds to play and Boston trailing, 96-95.
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Kemba Walker, who was 1-for-12 on the night, missed a shot in the final seconds, and forward Daniel Theis could not get the offensive rebounds to go as time expired.
Davis finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds while James posted 21 points, seven rebounds, and seven assist as the Lakers snapped their two-game losing streak.
Duke basketball star still playing at MVP level
Despite LeBron James becoming the new favorite for the Most Valuable Player Award, Jayson Tatum still continues to play at an All-NBA level, averaging 26.3 points per game since his return from Covid.
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On the season, the All-Star is averaging 26.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 47.1-percent from the field and 42.7-percent from three-point range.
Boston will now head to the West Coast for a five-game road trip beginning on Tuesday, February 2 against the Golden State Warriors (11-9) at 10:00pm EST (TNT).