Jayson Tatum saves his best for LeBron James yet again in Celtics comeback win over Lakers

Some of the most memorable moments in Jayson Tatums career have come against LeBron James. That trend continued yet again on Tuesday night in Los Angeles in Bostons improbable comeback win over the Lakers.

Tatum was the MVP of the victory with 44 points and nine rebounds on 51 percent shooting from the field, including a baseline fadeaway jumper over LeBron James to force overtime with 15 seconds remaining in regulation. That type of superb effort for Tatum has become par for the course though in hi recent matchups against the Lakers star.

In his last five games against James, Tatum is averaging 37.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting an incredibly efficient 56 percent from the field and 51 percent from 3-point range. Boston has only won three of those five matchups but Tatum is clearly ensuring that hes at his bet against one of the greatest players in NBA history.

On Tuesday night, he outdueled James (33 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists) with seven points in the last 3:08 of regulation, helping Boston pull off a 17-4 rally in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter and avoid a huge collapse after the visitors led by as many as 20 points in the third quarter.

We found a way and we needed that, man, Tatum told TNT after the win. Losing two in a row, havent been playing the best individually and as a team, but find a way to get back on track. That felt good.

Joe Mazzulla also praised Tatum for his clutch play late after the victory.

I saw us be organized. We knew exactly what we wanted to do. We had two timeouts, 28 seconds left. And I saw a great player make a great shot. And a guy that wanted the moment, Mazzulla told reporters in LA. I thought that sparked (us) for overtime, him embracing that moment. Our team fed off of that. Our team embraced the moment for the rest of overtime.