Jayson Tatum threw down a monster dunk during his big night in the Celtics' preseason finale

BOSTON – Jayson Tatum is ready for the regular season after the Celtics star put in an all-nighter in Boston's final preseason game on Tuesday night. Tatum scored 24 points against the Toronto Raptors, including two of the tournament's loudest points.

Tatum threw a thunderous dunk over Toronto star Bruno Fernando early in the contest that sent his Celtics teammates leaping off the bench and sending fans into a frenzy on social media. Late in the first quarter, Tatum shot past Chris Boucher and shot straight to Fernando as he found him at the rim.

Things didn't go so well for Fernando as Tatum did a heavy poster dunk.

Although posters aren't really a thing anymore, Tatum's dunk on Tuesday night would be a good thing.

This dunk came when the Celtics were trailing by a large margin and cut the score to 44-25. Tatum made a steal and got another dunk a few seconds later, sparking a big run for Boston. The Celtics outscored the Raptors 42-22 the rest of the first half and took a 67-66 lead in the third quarter. Tatum scored seven points and had three assists in the second quarter for Boston.

Tatum played a team-best 34 minutes and led the way with 24 points on 9-for-21 shooting from the floor. He added eight rebounds, six assists and three steals for the Celtics.

However, the Raptors emerged victorious 119-118, handing the Celtics their first and only loss of the preseason. Boston finished with a 4-1 record and now prepares to open the conclusion of the 2024-25 NBA regular season – and raise its championship banner – with a clash against the New York Knicks at TD Garden on October 22nd.