Jayson Tatum's struggles against the Golden State Warriors continued in Saturday night's NBA Finals rematch.
The Boston Celtics star was given a harsh reminder of last summer as the Warriors earned a 123-107 victory at Chase Center. Tatum was limited to 18 points -- his second-lowest total of the season -- while shooting a lackluster 6-for-21 from the floor.
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As great as Tatum has been all season long, the Celtics need more from the NBA MVP frontrunner in these marquee matchups. That fact isn't lost on him.
"I missed a lot of layups. Got two fouls in the first quarter. Missed some open threes," Tatum said after the defeat. "They're a good team. Obviously, we've got some history with them. They've been playing better as of lately. They're a well-balanced, talented team on both ends. They make it tough on you. I think I just -- maybe my touch was off, but just a lot of easy ones I missed made it a little tough tonight."
While Tatum was accountable for his off night, he isn't about to lose sleep over the performance. With the C's still possessing the NBA's best record (21-6), he downplayed the "NBA Finals rematch" storyline and chalked it up as just another loss they'll look to bounce back from.
“I think tonight was probably more meaningful to you guys (the media) than it was to us," he said. "It’s one game. We want to win every game we play. It’s tough. You never want to lose. We’ve been playing well. … It’s not going to our dictate our season. It’s all about how we respond.”
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You can watch Tatum's full postgame press conference below.
Tatum and the Celtics will look to respond Monday when their road trip continues in Los Angeles. Tip-off for the late-night showdown vs. the Clippers is set for 10:30 p.m. ET. on NBC Sports Boston.