Jason Tatum delivers, more notes from Celtics ' opening-night victory

Jason Tatum delivers, more notes from Celtics ' opening-night victory
Left Giannis Antetokounmpo likely free throw tied the game short, the Celtics survived a game that squandered a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter and you need to shot the last second to win.
Left Giannis Antetokounmpo likely free throw tied the game short, the Celtics survived a game that squandered a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter and you need to shot the last second to win.Jim Davis / Globe staff
If the Celtics are to take another step toward competing for the title this season, it is clear that Jason Tatum must be the one to lead them there. On Wednesday night, the dominant defensive player of the year in his face, with time ticking over, and with Boston trailing by a point, he added the All-Stars to his growing portfolio.

Tatum took several quiet crossover drops behind the left arc before sending a 3 pointer on the outstretched arm of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, out of the glass and across the net with 0.4 seconds left, ultimately giving the Celtics a 122-121 season-opening win at TD Garden mostly empty.

The Bucks had a chance to send the game into overtime when Antetokounmpo was blocked by Tristan Thompson on an incoming pass. He made the first foul shot, but missed the second short.

Jaylen Brown led Boston with 33 points; Tatum added 30. Jeff Teague had 19 points and 4 assists.
Antetokounmpo finished with 35 points, 18 coming in a fierce fourth quarter, as Milwaukee flew back and erased a 17-point deficit. But the Celtics regrouped before it was too late.


 Play the final play was not too complicated, but it worked. Marcus Smart threw a side pass to Tatum, who was initially defended at the top of the key by Khris Middleton.

Milwaukee did not turn on screens often in this game, but in this case it was an easy call for Antetokounmpo to slide into Tatum when smart set the screen. Middleton hedged towards Tatum, too, briefly leaving smart open at the top of the key, but it was clear Tatum was going to find a way to get his shot somehow. Middleton faded back towards smart, and Tatum tempered Antetokounmpo with a couple between legs drips.


At first, I made his shot path look like it would be a bad miss.

"I saw the ball really go up, so I was happy with that,"Antetokounmpo said. "But , you know, the basketball gods rewarded them, and he succeeded.”

It's high staked off the back panel and through the grid. It was that kind of fire, with Boston down by just 1, that might have drawn some criticism if it had missed. But it wasn't.

"The angle I had and knowing how long [Giannis] was, once I let it go, I knew it would hit the backboard,"Tatum said. "But I didn't try necessarily. I didn't try to do that.”

⋅ There has been growing concern about this Celtics team based on a pair of lethargic exhibition games, but that should quell that for now. The Celtics weren't perfect, but the performance of the two stars, as well as newcomers Teague Tristan Thompson, showed Boston you should be able to stay afloat while Kimba Walker is out.

"Just knowing that, well, now is the time,"Tatum said. "Obviously you want to translate what you do practically to the pre-season, but I've been in the league a little bit now to understand that it doesn't always happen that way. But [we know] that we have a job to do, and we know what we need to look like when calculated games.”

Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown after the winner of Tatum's game.Jim Davis / Globe staff
 Bucks the Bucks were called for a 3-second defensive technical foul with less than five minutes left in the second quarter and Brown stepped up to the line. There wasn't a real bomb on the ground with him, but he was still a bit of a surprising choice task 67.8 percent shooter who struggled so strongly that point in the game.


Brown drained the shot, and maybe it ignited it. He scored 10 points over the final 2: 32 of the half and was in control after that, including a look great as a ballhandler, pick and roll.

"New Year, new season, new responsibilities," Brown said.

This Boston offense will face challenges while Walker is out, and the Celtics will need big bursts from Brown most nights.

 Thompson Thompson, who missed two pre-season games due to a hamstring injury, had 12 points and 8 rebounds in 22 minutes. It was a little surprising that he joined Daniel Theis in a big double starting lineup. The experiment didn't work out well in the opening quarter, as dollars exploded for one transition opportunity after another.

Said coach Brad Stevens:" it was a job, I was really upset of the way we played up until this point, I wanted to begin the defensive lineup is very good". "We have to play better at this end.”

 Pay Payton Pritchard, choose the 26th of the draft last month, checked in late in the first quarter, he played 13 total minutes, providing more evidence that advanced to choose the 14th Aaron Nesmith, who did not play.


 Continued Tig continued his excellent game. He drilled all four of his 3-pointers and is 9 for 9 from long range including before the start of the season. He also had a key strip from Bucks guard Donte DiVincenzo in a quick break with Milwaukee leading by a point in the final minute. Teague brought fortitude to Boston's offense, and his poise would be a great asset with Walker out. He indicated his scorching 3-point shooting to him by a reporter after the game.

 Smart Smart is the choice to defend the first team twice, and if he forgot Antetokounmpo, he received a quick reminder. Smart drew three offensive fouls on Antetokounmpo, and the pair followed in the third quarter by stripping him.

Jeff Teague drives to the hoop against Milwaukee's Pat Connaughton in the first half of Wednesday's game.
Jeff Teague drives to the hoop against Milwaukee's Pat Connaughton in the first half of Wednesday's game.Jim Davis / Globe staff
On the offense, Smart took only three shots and did not make any of them, but performed well in the distribution role, finishing with seven assists.

Brown said:" I was proud of Marcus Smart". "I think he did a great job of keeping us together.”

 Honored Celtics honored franchise legend Tommy Heinsohn with a moment of silence before the game and a tribute video during it. Also, Boston players wore warm-up shirts that said "Tommy" on them.

Heinsohn, 86, who died of kidney failure in November. 9 , he was elected to the Hall of Fame as a Celtics player and coach, and has served as the team's color commentator since 1981.