Jayson Tatum provided a strong finish in front of the Duke basketball coaching staff.
Mike Krzyzewski has never seen his Duke basketball product Jayson Tatum play in person since leaving Durham, but the former head coach of the Blue Devils was treated to a classic at the TD Garden on Wednesday night.
Tatum was the hero of Game 1 with his buzzer-beating layup to give the Boston Celtics a 1-0 series lead, but his shots were not falling early in Game 2.
However, the former Blue Devil was instrumental in the fourth-quarter comeback for Boston.
Jayson Tatum scored seven straight points for the Celtics in a 90-second stretch, which expanded the Boston lead from five to 12 at 108-96.
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The Brooklyn Nets were outscored in the fourth quarter, 29-17, as Boston took a 2-0 series lead with a 114-107 victory.
“I was thrilled when he told me he was coming to a game,” Tatum said in his postgame press conference.
Krzyzewski was in attendance with Jon Scheyer, Chris Carrawell, and Stephen Pagliuca, a Duke alum and the co-owner of the Celtics.
“Obviously, he has a lot of time on his hands,” Tatum joked. “But it was great having him here, and that’s my guy. It was great having him in the building.”
Duke basketball stars continue to battle as series shifts
Jayson Tatum was just 5-for-16 in the Game 2 victory as he racked up 19 points, six rebounds, and 10 assists.
Kyrie Irving struggled after his 39-point outburst in Game 1, scoring just 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting. But he did add eight rebounds with just one assist in the loss.
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However, it was Seth Curry’s time to shine for Brooklyn as he responded from his poor shooting night in the first game with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor and 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
Game 3 of the series shifts to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.