Jayson Tatum made the second buzzer-beating, game-winner of his career Saturday, draining a side-step 3-pointer to give Boston a three-point overtime win over Toronto. Impressive as the shot was, it has not come without controversy.
In the immediate aftermath of Tatum’s clutch jumper, basketball fans on X (formerly Twitter) quickly pointed out that he shuffled his feet before putting the ball on the floor. The discussion has now shifted to whether or not Tatum should have been whistled for an infraction before his heroics.
Did Tatum travel against the Raptors? Here is a closer look at the play and how fans across social media have reacted to a slow-motion breakdown.
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Jayson Tatum game-winner vs. Raptors
With under 10 seconds remaining in overtime, the Celtics and Raptors were tied at 123. Tatum received the ball near the right wing and after a series of jab steps, used three dribbles to create space from Toronto forward Ochai Agbaji.
Tatum rose for a 3-pointer with under one second remaining. The ball left his hands before time expired, giving Boston its 11th win of the season while Toronto fell to 2-12.
JT JUST CALLED GAME ???#TissotBuzzerBeater #YourTimeDefinesYourGreatness pic.twitter.com/0j5IPloASF
— NBA (@NBA) November 17, 2024
Tatum finished one assist shy of a triple-double with 24 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. It was a big win for the Celtics, though the Raptors were on the second end of a back-to-back and were without several key players, namely Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley.
Did Jayson Tatum travel before game-winner vs. Raptors?
After Tatum’s game-winner, @BBALLBREAKDOWN on X posted that Tatum “got away with some fancy footwork” before his game-winner. A slow-motion look at the play appears to show Tatum shuffling his feet on the jab series, which by rule would be a travel.
If I were a Raptors fan, I’d be pretty pissed right now as Tatum got away with some fancy footwork on his game winner ?♀️ pic.twitter.com/HVEdGlX8G3
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) November 17, 2024
Celtics fans argued the potential non-call on Tatum is offset by an apparent non-call on Jaylen Brown. No foul was called when Brown was shoved by Raptors guard Davion Mitchell during the play.
Most fans appear to agree that Tatum should have been whistled for an infraction.
Yahoo Sports NBA writer Vincent Goodwill posted that there was “a whole lotta steps there,” jokingly calling Tatum’s move “A whole Cupid shuffle.” NBA agent and entrepreneur Nate Jones called it a “Bunny hop in the pea patch.”
Because Saturday’s game came down to the final play, the NBA will provide a definitive answer on Tatum’s footwork with its Last Two Minute report. Within the report, the league will share whether or not the game’s officials made the correct or incorrect non-call.
