Jayson Tatum reacts to his lengthy embrace with Jaylen Brown after Game 3 victory: "I told him I was proud of him"
The Boston Celtics’ star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown shared a lengthy embrace at the center court of the American Airlines Center after fending off a comeback attempt by the Dallas Mavericks and securing a 106-99 victory in Game 3.
Tatum and Brown were instrumental in the win. Tatum tallied 31 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Brown finished with 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
After the game, Tatum revealed that during their embrace, he told Brown he was proud of him.
“I told him I was proud of him, and he said the same thing,” Jayson Tatum said.
Brown's 30 points were his highest in this year’s finals, surpassing his 22 in Game 1 and 21 in Game 2. His rebound and assist numbers were also the highest in Game 3, and he posted a plus-13 rating in his 41 minutes.
Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum also recorded a 2024 NBA Finals-high with his 31 points.
Derrick White, who made a clutch three-pointer to thwart the Mavericks' comeback, contributed 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
Jrue Holiday added nine points and five assists, while Al Horford contributed eight points and five rebounds. Sam Hauser also drilled three triples off the bench for the Celtics.
Kyrie Irving scored a personal high of 35 points in the 2024 NBA Finals, while Luka Doncic scored his lowest of the series with 27 points, along with six rebounds and six assists.
Only PJ Washington (13 points, eight rebounds) and Dereck Lively II (11 points, 13 rebounds) also reached double digits for the Mavericks.
Jayson Tatum says Joe Mazzulla makes the Celtics watch UFC videos on staying calm
The Boston Celtics built a 21-point lead in the game, but the Dallas Mavericks fought back and reduced the deficit to three in the fourth quarter.
Jayson Tatum credited the Celtics' ability to remain calm in tense situations to film sessions with coach Joe Mazzulla, where he makes players watch UFC fighters escaping chokes.
"Joe does a great job of showing us clips and things from different sports. He's a big UFC fan. Showing us fights of people that, I don't know the terminology of UFC, put him in a chokehold and s**t,” Tatum said.
“They're about to tap out, and you see them [ease up] because they think they're about to win."
After the Mavericks cut the lead to three with four minutes left, Luka Doncic fouled out, with the Celtics leading 93-90. The Celtics then outscored the Mavericks 13-9 the rest of the way to secure the win and secure a convincing 3-0 lead in the finals.