Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum finally admitted that he fouled Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James in the team’s matchup back on Jan. 28.
Tatum, who was thrown out after picking up his second technical foul against the New York Knicks on Monday night, believes that he received some karma for fouling James.
Following the game, Tatum highlighted a play in which Julius Randle clearly hit his arm as he shot the ball.
Lol this what I get for fouling Bron https://t.co/Tn4lXNJDCE
— Jayson Tatum (@jaytatum0) February 28, 2023
Tatum’s foul of James back on Jan. 28 led to the Lakers and Celtics going to overtime in Boston.
On the play, Tatum clearly slapped James’ arm, but the officials didn’t call a foul, leaving the game tied instead of sending James to the line for two free-throw attempts.
LeBron gets mauled on a game-winning layup attempt pic.twitter.com/VrOn1QNrr1
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) January 29, 2023
Boston ended up winning the game by a score of 125-121 in overtime. It was a huge loss for the Lakers, as the team has needed every win it’s been able to get.
Los Angeles is currently in the No. 12 spot in the West, just half a game behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 10 seed and one game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 9 seed.
The missed call against the Knicks on Monday was the final straw for Tatum in what was a rough game shooting the ball. The Celtics superstar made just 6-of-18 shots from the field and 1-of-9 shots from beyond the arc, finishing with just 14 points in the loss.
Boston fell to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with the loss. The Milwaukee Bucks slid into the top spot. The team has won 14 straight games to surpass Boston in the standings.
For Lakers fans, it doesn’t help now that Tatum finally admitted he fouled James, but there is some vindication after a month of frustration over the blown call.
The Celtics and Lakers don’t play again in the regular season, but Los Angeles could meet Boston in the NBA Finals if both teams were to get there. The Lakers would need to make a major underdog run in the West for that to happen, but they have been playing better since the trade deadline with their revamped roster.
