Another Celtics victory was already clinched, and the only remaining suspense came in Jayson Tatum’s hands.
Tatum was at 48 points with less than a minute to go, and everyone knew it. Al Horford corralled a defensive rebound with 45 seconds left, and skipped the ball over to Tatum. As he dribbled the ball up, the Boston-friendly crowd at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center stood up, anticipating a milestone moment.
Everyone knew what was coming, and the Hornets still couldn’t stop it.