NBA closing time: Amen Thompson erases Victor Wembanyama, Jayson Tatum daggers Knicks

We’re breaking down the best clutch performances from Friday, as three players stood out early season wins

Jayson Tatum has a lot on his plate this season. Playing without Jaylen Brown for the first time in his career, the Celtics need him to be their top scorer and facilitator against even more disproportionate defensive attention. Tatum's shot wasn't on in Boston's season-opening loss to the Cavaliers, when they coughed up a big lead as Tatum shanked 10 of his 11 second-half shots and finished 6 for 23 from the floor. But he had 11 assists as he consistently commanded double teams. In Game 2 on Friday, Tatum got the scoring going with 36 points on 54% shooting as the Celtics fended off the Knicks (who have started 0-2, by the way) down the stretch to notch their first win.

He's yet to find his 3-point stroke (3 for 17 to open the season), but he was tremendous getting into the paint as both a scorer and passer (more on this in a bit) and he closed the game out with three straight superstar buckets. Let's break them down. Tatum snakes his way downhill, gets cut off at the rim, dribbles back out into a post-up, spins on Josh Hart and hits a nasty fadeaway. There is absolutely nothing a defender can do with this. Tatum is in jail, stuck in the right corner with Josh Hart draped