"This is just a time that you can't have off-nights... he's also very loose with the ball" - Former NBA champion disappointed with Jayson Tatum's dismal outing against Miami Heat in Game 3
As the Miami Heat took a convincing win over the Boston Celtics without Jimmy Butler on Saturday, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum fell short and capped off the night with 10 points, shooting 21.4% from the field. He made only one of his seven three-point attempts. He also turned the ball over six times.
Former NBA Champion Matt Barnes, on ESPN's "SportsCenter," talked about Tatum's miserable night and poor ball-handling, stating:
"It was just one of those off-nights and you know, he had one against Milwaukee Bucks in that series and this is just a time that you can't have off-nights. ... Outside of not shooting the ball well, he's also very loose with the ball, six turnovers."
Barnes also credited the Miami Heat's suffocating defense, which eventually covered up their offensive shortcomings, stating:
"I think Miami, there was really no rhythm or flow to their offense in the second-half and I think their best offense was good defense."
The Miami Heat went 2-1 up in the Eastern Conference finals and regained home-court advantage with a win on Saturday.
Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics review: Bam Adebayo strings together a comeback, Oladipo's defensive clinic and Jaylen Brown's watered-down career-night
The Miami Heat led by as many as 26 points in the second-quarter, but the story of the night was the performances put up by Bam Adebayo, P.J. Tucker, Victor Oladipo and Max Strus.
Throughout the first two quarters, Jimmy Butler scored eight points, but didn't play in the second-half and was declared out of the game with knee inflammation.
In Butler's absence, Bam Adebayo, who had looked like a shell of himself in the playoffs until last night, put up 31 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the 109-103 win. However, the Heat's defense was unarguably the story of the night.
We witnessed one of the best individual defensive halves last night:
Victor Oladipo
Pure dominance, just watch: https://t.co/RIQw9vdaqc
Miami tallied their franchise record for steals, with 19 in the game. Victor Oladipo, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry put together 12 steals, with one of Kyle Lowry's steals in the final minute leading to a three-point play down the stretch.
Boston has turned the ball over 24 times, the most for any team in the playoffs this season. Although Oladipo scored only five points, his defense forced the Celtics offense to turn the ball over seven times in the third quarter.
P.J. Tucker's physically intense defense kept Jayson Tatum at bay and he managed a mere 10 points, shooting 21.4% from the field.
Jaylen Brown scored 40-points on a forgettable career-night. The Celtics haven't lost back-to-back games since January. Game 4 will be played on Monday at the TD Garden.