Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday have had an eventful 2024 so far. Last June, the Boston Celtics won the NBA championship over the Dallas Mavericks, finally breaking through after years of running into LeBron James and then Jimmy Butler. Afterward, Team USA selected both Celtics players for the 2024 Olympics where they won gold, though fans were not happy with Steve Kerr benching Tatum for many of the games. On Tuesday, Tatum and Holiday watched their sister team in the WNBA, the Connecticut Sun, defeat the Los Angeles Sparks 69-61.
Both Tatum and Holiday showed some love to the Sun players after the game, as shared on X, formerly Twitter.
Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday showing love after tonight's Sun-Sparks game at TD Garden 🙌
(via @WNBA)pic.twitter.com/96OlhqsgXR
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 21, 2024
Sun vs. Sparks
Besides Tatum and Holiday’s appearance, the Sun vs. Sparks game was also historic, as it was the first WNBA game played in TD Garden. This historic game also saw a sell-out crowd of 19,125 at the Garden. Leading the Sun was DiJonai Carrington, who poured in 19 points, and helped the team go on a 14-0 run late in the fourth to take the game. After trailing 59-55 with only four minutes left, Carrington and Alyssa Thomas scored timely buckets to grab the lead 62-59.
Meanwhile, the Sparks had missed two shots and two free throws, and then gave away the ball four times, effectively handing the game over to the Sun. Brionna Jones chipped in with 15 points and Tyasha Harris put in 14 points in the win. Moreover, the Sun also overcame a bad night at the foul line, making only eight of 17 free throws.
Likewise, Thomas played an all-around game to lead the way for the Sun, with nine points, eight assists, and 16 rebounds. With this victory, the Sun climb to a 20-7 record, solidifying their hold on the second seed in the WNBA. On the other hand, the lowly Sparks fall to 6-22, still trying to get it together after rookie Cameron Brink’s torn ACL ended her season.
The Celtics celebrate
The Celtics, though, are still riding the high of breaking their championship tie with the Los Angeles Lakers, finally winning title number 18 over the Mavericks. Despite the firepower of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, the Mavs simply were not able to match the Celtics’ well-rounded play. Moreover, Kristaps Porzingis played through injuries to help the Celtics take the series in five games.
To get to the mountaintop, the Celtics traded for Kristaps Porzingis in a surprising deal that sent Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies. Along with the trade for Jrue Holiday after the Bucks sent him to the Blazers, the Celtics finally got the right pieces around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for a championship run. Many contenders can learn from the Celtics’ example of prudent roster management, timely trades, and sheer persistence to succeed in the postseason.
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