Who Celtics' Jayson Tatum 'trusted' with game on line vs. Clippers
01/23/2025 06:44 PM
The NBA’s regular season can be unpredictable, and the Boston Celtics’ 117-113 overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night epitomized that. Although all eyes were on Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in OT, bench guard Jaden Springer arguably saved the day.
The short-handed Clippers were missing a huge chunk of their roster against the C’s, as stars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden rested and other key players like Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac sat as well. Boston had a few absences too, including starting center Kristaps Porzingis and starting guard Jrue Holiday, yet they had the advantage thanks to Tatum and Brown’s persistent desire to play.
This sounds like a recipe for a blowout, yet the Clippers led by as much as seven points in the fourth quarter and eventually forced overtime. Since the C’s were without Holiday and desperately needed a spark, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla gave Springer a chance, via NBC Sports Boston.
“Joe trusted in me. It felt good,” Springer said of his opportunity.
More from Jaden Springer's postgame interview with @tvabby, including his breakdown of his huge 3-pointer:
"It felt great. JT trusted me … My team supported me. Joe trusted in me. It felt good." pic.twitter.com/3654XqnFEt
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) January 23, 2025
How did Jaden Springer save the Celtics?
The 22-year-old delivered down the stretch and hit probably the biggest shot of his NBA career. With under a minute to go in overtime in a two-point game, Tatum drove to the basket and kicked the ball out to Springer, who was completely unguarded behind the 3-point line. The only “defense” L.A. had at that moment was from Harden and Powell—and they weren’t even in the game.
The pair of Clippers yelled in Springer’s ear as he put up a wide-open triple, however, he was unfazed and not afraid to shoot despite his underwhelming 3-point percentage. The second-year Celtic drained the 3-pointer, smiled back at the sidelined Clippers, and put the Celtics up 115-110 with just 34 seconds remaining. Boston held on for the narrow win and Springer was promptly embraced by his teammates.
Everyone is soooo happy for Jaden Springer after that clutch three
The Jaden Springer Game pic.twitter.com/n4hazppGv3
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) January 23, 2025
“It felt great,” he replied when asked about his timely triple. “[Tatum] trusted me. He swung the ball, I knocked it down, and everybody went crazy. It’s a great feeling. [I] had my team’s support.”
Springer’s impact wasn’t just felt at the end of the game. In the third quarter, Clippers guard Kevin Porter Jr. was blitzing Boston, recording 13 of Los Angeles’ 18 points to start. Then, with 4:18 left in the third frame and the C’s down three, Springer subbed in and instantly disrupted Porter Jr.’s rhythm. Just a little over a minute after checking in, Springer stole the ball from KPJ, marking the first of his incredible four steals.
big time pic.twitter.com/ZeCnbn69VM
— brad guapovich (@BallUpTopBrad) January 23, 2025
Porter Jr. proceeded to make only one of his five attempts from the field for the rest of the contest—ending the loss with a season-high 26 points. Meanwhile, Springer logged 15:58 minutes over the course of the fourth quarter and overtime, harassing Porter Jr. for a fair amount of that span.
The defensive specialist finished with a season-high eight points and two rebounds in 20 minutes of play. Before Wednesday, Springer had been on the court for a combined 16 minutes in all of January.
The now 31-13 Celtics aren’t missing any of their guys for their next game, which is a primetime showdown with the rival Los Angeles Lakers. However, Springer may have just earned himself some minutes in that matchup thanks to his late-game heroics versus the Clips.
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