NBA: Boston Celtics beat Nets in overtime on Tatum's last-second shot

In the NBA, North America's top professional basketball league, the Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets 125-124 in overtime of a regular-season game. Forward Jayson Tatum hit the winning shot at the decisive moment, allowing Boston to avoid a home loss that looked likely late in the game.

A dramatic finish

Boston appeared in control late in regulation. Derrick White made free throws with 13 seconds left to put the Celtics up five (116-111), and with three seconds remaining the hosts were again three points ahead (117-114). However, Boston center Mitchell Robinson, who has made only 51% of his free throws in his career, missed both attempts, and the Nets' Michael Brown hit a tying three-pointer (117-117).

In the closing stretch of overtime, Brown missed two close-range attempts in the final six seconds, and Tatum then made the winning shot. After the game, Brown said he took full accountability for his mistakes in the key moments.

Player performances

Tatum scored 40 points, with eight assists and five rebounds. Paul George added 20 points, seven assists and seven rebounds. For the Nets, Michael Porter scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Julius Randle had 24 points and nine rebounds.

Other games of the night

The Los Angeles Lakers suffered their first loss of the season, falling 136-129 at home to the Portland Trail Blazers, who have won all three of their games. Luka Doncic scored 41 points. The San Antonio Spurs beat the Sacramento Kings 130-103, with Victor Wembanyama scoring 29 points. The New York Knicks defeated the Detroit Pistons 111-97 for their first win of the season.