BOSTON — Jayson Tatum hit an overtime buzzer-beater to cap a wild, roller-coaster 125-124 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday at TD Garden. Tatum scored 40 points — including a career-high 18 free throws on 22 attempts — to rescue Boston after it coughed up a four-point lead in the final four seconds of regulation. After trailing the Nets for 25 consecutive minutes on the second night of ...

The Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum celebrates with fans after scoring the game-winning basket in overtime to defeat the Brooklyn Nets, 125-124, at TD Garden on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, in Boston.

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images North America/TNS

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum hit an overtime buzzer-beater to cap a wild, roller-coaster 125-124 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday at TD Garden.

Tatum scored 40 points — including a career-high 18 free throws on 22 attempts — to rescue Boston after it coughed up a four-point lead in the final four seconds of regulation.

After trailing the Nets for 25 consecutive minutes on the second night of a back-to-back, the Celtics had taken the lead late on a rare and-one dunk by Derrick White (total dunks last season: 14) with 34 seconds left in regulation.

Then, disaster.

Neemias Queta made contact with Julius Randle’s wrist after a missed Tatum free throw, resulting in his sixth foul and disqualification. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla inserted Mitchell Robinson to replace him. The Nets promptly fouled Robinson, and the notoriously poor free-throw shooter missed both.

Nets first-round draft pick Mikel Brown Jr. capitalized with a last-second 3-pointer to send the game to overtime. But the rookie missed two shots that would have sealed things in the final seconds of OT, setting the stage for Tatum’s heroics.

The Celtics, who improved to 3-1 win the win, will host the Chicago Bulls on Friday. The Nets fell to 0-4.

Though he’s tweaked elements of his rotation from game to game, head coach Joe Mazzulla has kept his starting five consistent so far this season.

White, Jordan Walsh, Paul George, Tatum and Robinson have formed the Celtics’ top unit in all four games. And despite some inconsistency from those individual players, the group entered Tuesday with the second-best net rating of any NBA lineup that had logged at least 20 minutes together.

The Nets came in with the league’s fifth-worst net rating and fourth-worst field-goal percentage, but they shot better than 60% of the field for much of the first quarter and took a 31-26 lead into the second.

Robinson was active early with a pair of offensive rebounds, and he was the center of attention in the opening minutes of the second quarter. After dropping Moritz Wagner with a hard shoulder in the paint — to which the former Celtics forward responded with a made 3-pointer and a cutting dunk — Robinson drew the ire of Noah Clowney when he lightly shoved the Nets big man from behind after the whistle.

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The Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum celebrates with fans after scoring the game-winning basket in overtime to defeat the Brooklyn Nets, 125-124, at TD Garden on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, in Boston.

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images North America/TNS

Clowney turned and barked at Robinson, and both players received technical fouls during the ensuing altercation.

Robinson finished an alley-oop from Walsh on the next possession, and White followed with an open 3. Brooklyn remained a step ahead, however.

That also was the case after Walsh scored four points in 16 seconds around a Baylor Scheierman steal. And after Tatum checked back in and began successfully attacking the paint, leading to a layup and two drawn fouls in a four-possession span. And after Randle was hit with a technical foul for flopping following a nudge from George.

The Nets led for the entire second quarter and took a 61-56 lead at halftime.

Among the biggest first-half issues for Boston: 2-for-16 shooting from 3-point range and 10 turnovers, including three each by George and White. The Celtics improved both in the third quarter, hitting four of their next five threes and shoring up their ball security, but still lagged behind the underdog visitors.

Momentum finally turned, with three minutes remaining in the quarter, on a hustle play by Hauser.

After Pritchard couldn’t can a wide-open three and Luka Garza threw away the offensive rebound, the veteran wing dove on the floor to poke the loose ball away from Chaney Johnson and help Boston retain possession. Hauser then hit a 3-pointer off the ensuing inbounds pass to cut Brooklyn’s lead to two, 77-75.

Scheierman followed that up with a no-dip corner 3 before Tatum put Boston in front with an iso triple over sixth overall draft pick Mikel Brown Jr.

Second later, Garza — who saw extended third-quarter minutes with No. 2 center Queta battling foul trouble — drew a charge against Randle. Tatum sank his 11th and 12th free throws of the game on the next possession, and Hauser capped the pivotal stretch with another 3-pointer, this one putting the Celtics up 86-82 entering the fourth.

The Nets then rallied, getting consecutive 3s from Michael Porter Jr. and Brown to reclaim a 99-98 lead. Another by Brown after an offensive rebound made it 102-99, and one by Porter broke a 102-102 tie after the still-hot Hauser banked in a 15-footer. A Randle layup after a Clowney block stretched the lead to five.

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