BOSTON — Jayson Tatum had a simple solution for the Boston Celtics to bounce back with a win in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night — he just needs to play better.

“I mean, I give [the Golden State Warriors] credit,” Tatum said after Boston’s 107-97 loss to Golden State in Game 4 at TD Garden Friday night knotted the series at 2-2. “They’re a great team. They’re playing well. They got a game plan, things like that.

“But it’s on me. I got to be better. I know I’m impacting the game in other ways, but I got to be more efficient, shoot the ball better, finish at the rim better.

“I take accountability for that.”

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Tatum has not played to the standard he has set for himself in this series. He is shooting 34 percent from the field, and although he has passed the ball beautifully in Boston’s two wins, compiling 22 assists and four turnovers, he has nine assists and 10 turnovers in their two losses.

Tatum, along with the rest of the Celtics, short-circuited in the fourth quarter Friday night, making just two shots over the final seven minutes. That allowed Golden State to close the game with a 21-6 run, flipping the outcome in its favor to even the series.

“We obviously felt like we put ourselves in the position to win the game,” said Tatum, who was 1-for-5 in the fourth quarter. “There’s a lot of things we wish we would have done differently, especially on the offensive end. I think we just got way too stagnant late in the fourth from everybody.”

All of that, however, starts with Tatum, who earned MVP honors in the Eastern Conference finals and is the face of the Celtics franchise. He has been shown as the opposite number of Warriors star Stephen Curry throughout this series, but on the court Curry has been peerless.

That was certainly the case in Game 4, when Curry had 43 points, 10 rebounds and four assists and dominated every second he was on the court. Tatum’s night, meanwhile, was emblematic of Boston’s poor decision-making for much of the game. He had five turnovers and was a big part of the team’s stagnant offense down the stretch.

Asked if he is putting too much pressure on himself, Tatum said no and that he just has to be better.

“I think that’s just as simple as it is,” he said. “I just got to be better. I know I can be better, so it’s not like I, myself or my team is asking me to do something I’m not capable of. They know the level and I know the level that I can play at.

“It’s kind of on me to do that more often than not just to help my team in the best way that I can. It’s not too much pressure at all. It’s kind of like my job.”

When asked what he has seen from Tatum so far in this series, Celtics coach Ime Udoka pointed to him hunting for fouls instead of trying to finish through contact.

“At times he’s looking for fouls,” Udoka said. “They are a team that loads up in certain games. He’s finding the outlets. Shooting over two, three guys. That’s the balance of being aggressive and picking your spots and doing what he’s done in previous games, which is kicked it out and got wide-open looks.

“That’s the ongoing theme, so to speak. Him getting to the basket, being a scorer as well as a playmaker. They do a good job with their rotations. Sometimes hunting fouls instead of going to finish. I’ve seen that in a few games so far.”

Moving forward, what the Celtics need to see is the Tatum that showed up time and time again in big spots earlier in these playoffs, such as his 46-point effort in Milwaukee in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals to stave off elimination against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the defending champion Bucks.

A similar performance in Game 5 in San Francisco on Monday night could allow Boston a chance to close this series out back here next Thursday in Game 6.

Tatum said he remains confident he and the Celtics can bounce back.

“We don’t do this s— on purpose,” Tatum said. “I promise you we don’t. We’re trying as hard as we can. There’s certain things we got to clean up. Obviously turnovers, movement on the offensive end. Would we have liked to have won today and be up 3-1? That would have been best-case scenario.

“But it’s the Finals. The art of competition, they came here feeling like they had to win. It wasn’t easy. I think that’s kind of the beauty of it, that it’s not going to be easy. It shouldn’t be.

“We know we both want it and we got to go take it.”

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The Golden State Warriors built a dynasty playing a beautiful brand of basketball predicated on movement, passing and creativity. Down 2-1 and desperate for a win on hostile ground in Boston’s TD Garden, the Warriors displayed precious little of that choreography, but managed to eke out a rugged 107-97 win to knot the NBA Finals as the series returns to San Francisco for Game 5 on Monday (9 p.m. ET on ABC).

For a team that shares the ball as a defining quality of its style, the Warriors relied heavily on Stephen Curry once again. The two-time MVP was brilliant Friday night. Against the NBA’s top-ranked defense that has zeroed in on the game’s most celebrated shooter, Curry found the smallest pockets of space in the Celtics’ pick-and-roll coverage to launch looping shots from long distance and acrobatic runners off the dribble. He finished with 43 points on 14-for-26 shooting, including 7-for-14 from beyond the arc and 8-for-9 from the line. The smallest starter for either team also grabbed 10 rebounds in 41 minutes.

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The Warriors have traditionally featured plenty of firepower during their dynastic run, but they have struggled to find consistent shot creation outside of Curry’s exploits. Golden State has had to rely on Curry, with heavy usage of a more traditional pick-and-roll game to maximize his shot opportunities. Curry worked tirelessly in Game 4 off the dribble in isolation against any favorable matchups — and the strong Celtics’ defense presents few of them.

For Curry, Game 4 was a showcase of both prolific volume and dramatic timeliness. The step-back 3-pointer he drained off a return bounce pass from Draymond Green gave the Warriors a six-point lead inside of two minutes remaining, and silenced the boisterous Garden crowd.

For Curry, Friday night was his seventh-career Finals game with seven 3-pointers. Only a single other player in NBA history has more than one (Ray Allen with a pair), according to ESPN Stats & Information. Game 4 was his second-highest output ever in a Finals game, and the first time a guard has notched a 40-point, 10-rebound line since Dwyane Wade in the 2006 Finals.

In the closing minutes, the Warriors still managed to produce a gem from their patented playbook when the Celtics trapped Curry off a screen from Green. As he’s done countless times during this era, Curry sent a pass over the double-team to an open Green, who found Looney for a high-low pass — Warriors ballet that pushed the team’s lead to five points with just over a minute left.

The Boston Celtics are tied with the Golden State Warriors 2-2 with the NBA championship on the line. You can catch the action on ABC and in the ESPN App.

Game 5: Monday, 9 p.m. ET, at GS
Game 6: Thursday, 9 p.m. ET, at BOS
Game 7: June 19, 8 p.m. ET, at GS*

*If necessary

The Celtics, who led for most of the game, looked as if they’d get a long-awaited signature performance from Jayson Tatum, who entered the game averaging 22 points over the first three games on a woeful true shooting percentage of 48.4. Both Tatum and Jaylen Brown turned in solid efforts — decisive, assertive attacks with smart playmaking. Yet in the closing frame, the Celtics simply couldn’t convert opportunities, as they dropped the fourth quarter 28-19. They missed seven of their final eight shots as Golden State ended the game on a 17-3 run.

While Game 4 will undoubtedly have a prominent page in Curry’s personal scrapbook, it was not necessarily material for the Warriors’ time capsule. Green continued to struggle, and found himself on the bench for much of the fourth quarter. While Klay Thompson sank a key 3-pointer late, he continues to struggle to find and make looks. Swingman Otto Porter Jr. (2 points, 0-for-2 shooting), who started in place of center Kevon Looney, couldn’t generate the timely offense he’d provided in previous postseason games. And 20 overall assists is a pittance for a team that won championships with the pass.

Yet the Warriors will fly home to San Francisco as the series favorite for the first time in a week, whatever the unsightly deficiencies and festering issues. Curry is one of those singular NBA players who can make you forget about what’s lacking and celebrate what’s there.

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NEW YORK — Chicago Cubs left-hander Wade Miley, making his first appearance since May 22, left Friday’s start against the New York Yankees after just three innings due to soreness in his left shoulder.

Miley, 35, was activated from the injured list before the game. He had been out since experiencing a left shoulder strain late last month.

Miley allowed no runs on three hits and struck out two before being replaced by reliever Daniel Norris to start the fourth.

Miley’s return was part of a series of roster moves by the Cubs in advance of Friday’s game, including placing righty Marcus Stroman on the injured list due to right shoulder inflammation.

The team also activated Yan Gomes (oblique) and Jonathan Villar (mouth) from the injured list while reinstating reliever Chris Martin from the bereavement list.

To make room for the moves, outfielder Clint Frazier was designated for assignment while first baseman Alfonso Rivas and reliever Michael Rucker were optioned to Triple-A Iowa.

The Cubs were hopeful Frazier could restart his career after injury issues with the Yankees, but the emergence of Christopher Morel combined with an appendectomy for Frazier set him back. Frazier was hitting .216 with a .356 on-base percentage in just 37 at-bats

“We haven’t been able to give him real opportunities to watch him succeed,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “It’s a roster construction spot. We like Frazier. We’d like to keep him but we don’t know if that’s a possibility or not.

“He was upset. Emotional would be a good word. I think he likes it here a lot.”

Ross was asked if Frazier could have taken at-bats away from Jason Heyward, the 32-year-old veteran who is hitting .217. Heyward is starting Friday night.

“No,” Ross said. “J-Hey will get the right-handed [against righties] at-bats.”

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CHICAGO — A day after ordering a two-strike intentional walk that backfired, Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa said he’d do it all over again.

In the sixth inning of Thursday’s 11-9 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, La Russa walked right-handed hitting speedster Trea Turner with a 1-2 count. Left-handed hitting Max Muncy followed with a three-run homer off lefty Bennett Sousa that opened the Los Angeles lead to 10-5.

Muncy had five RBI in his return after missing 11 games with left elbow inflammation. He entered hitting .150 to Turner’s .303.

Before Friday’s home game against Texas, the 77-year-old La Russa referred to a line he said was passed on to him by former White Sox and Baltimore manager Paul Richards.

“Trust your gut. Don’t cover your butt,” La Russa said.

Freddie Freeman was at second in the sixth on Thursday after Sousa bounced an 0-2 slider for a wild pitch. With first base open, La Russa ordered the intentional walk to Turner, whom he believed represented a bigger threat.

“Pssssh, 24 hours later, I’m even more surprised,” La Russa said of the reaction. “That’s not even a close call. I mean do you know what Muncy was hitting from the left-hand side this season? .125.”

The move was all about Turner, who had already driven in a run when he legged out an infield single.

According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Turner is a .254 career hitter after a 1-2 count against a lefty pitcher, and this season he is hitting .333 (5-for-15) in such situations.

“Turner is a tough hitter with no strikes, one strike, two strikes,” La Russa said. “He shortens up and he’s got all kinds of ways to put the ball in play and hurt you.

“Now, if it had been a right-handed pitcher, yeah, I probably would have tried to make a pitch.”

Turner said he was astonished when he was sent to first. Muncy admitted he was riled, then lofted a 2-2 pitch from Sousa just over the left-center wall for his fourth homer.

“Since then, somebody sent me some stats about what Turner hits with 1-2 counts,” La Russa said. “He’s like the third- or fourth-best hitter in baseball over the past three years. I mean, we all know that.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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NEW YORK — The Chicago Cubs made a series of roster moves on Friday in advance of their game against the New York Yankees, including activating lefty Wade Miley from the injured list and placing righty Marcus Stroman on it.

Miley, 35, will start against the Yankees on Friday. He hasn’t pitched since May 22 and had been out since experiencing a shoulder strain late last month.

Stroman, 31, has right shoulder inflammation. The team also activated Yan Gomes (oblique) and Jonathan Villar (mouth) from the injured list while reinstating reliever Chris Martin from the bereavement list.

To make room for the moves, outfielder Clint Frazier was designated for assignment while first baseman Alfonso Rivas and reliever Michael Rucker were optioned to Triple-A Iowa.

The Cubs were hopeful Frazier could restart his career after injury issues with the Yankees, but the emergence of Christopher Morel combined with an appendectomy for Frazier set him back. Frazier was hitting .216 with a .356 on-base percentage in just 37 at-bats

“We haven’t been able to give him real opportunities to watch him succeed,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “It’s a roster construction spot. We like Frazier. We’d like to keep him but we don’t know if that’s a possibility or not.

“He was upset. Emotional would be a good word. I think he likes it here a lot.”

Ross was asked if Frazier could have taken at-bats away from Jason Heyward, the 32-year-old veteran who is hitting .217. Heyward is starting on Friday night.

“No,” Ross said. “J-Hey will get the right-handed [against righties] at-bats.”

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CHICAGO — The Texas Rangers have put right-hander Glenn Otto, who had been scheduled to start Friday night against the White Sox, on the COVID-19-related injured list.

The Rangers made the move before the game in Chicago. Catcher Mitch Garver also was put on the list.

Righty Matt Bush will start instead of Otto in what’s become a bullpen game. Right-handers Tyson Miller and J?sus Tinoco were added as replacements from Triple-A Round Rock.

The White Sox will start right-hander Reynaldo Lopez, 4-1 with a 4.30 ERA, as an opener, instead of rookie righty Davis Martin.

Martin, who had been scheduled to make his third start of the season, is expected to enter the game after Lopez.

The 26-year-old Otto is 4-2 with 4.24 ERA in eight starts. The rookie has won his last three starts with a 2.25 ERA in the span.

Bush will make his third start this season. He’s 2-1 with a 4.22 ERA.

Texas also activated infielder/outfielder Brad Miller from the 10-day injured list.

Miller, out since May 29 with right hip impingement is slated to start in left field and bat seventh. He’s batting. .228 with seven homers and 23 RBI.

The Rangers optioned infielder Andy Ib??ez optioned to Round Rock.

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NEW YORK — The Chicago Cubs made a series of roster moves on Friday in advance of their game against the New York Yankees, including activating lefty Wade Miley from the injured list and placing righty Marcus Stroman on it.

Miley, 35, will start against the Yankees on Friday. He hasn’t pitched since May 22 and had been out since experiencing a shoulder strain late last month.

Stroman, 31, has right shoulder inflammation. The team also activated Yan Gomes (oblique) and Jonathan Villar (mouth) from the injured list while reinstating reliever Chris Martin from the bereavement list.

To make room for the moves, outfielder Clint Frazier was designated for assignment while first baseman Alfonso Rivas and reliever Michael Rucker were optioned to Triple-A Iowa.

The Cubs were hopeful Frazier could restart his career after injury issues with the Yankees, but the emergence of Christopher Morel combined with an appendectomy for Frazier set him back. Frazier was hitting .216 with a .356 on-base percentage in just 37 at-bats

“We haven’t been able to give him real opportunities to watch him succeed,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “It’s a roster construction spot. We like Frazier. We’d like to keep him but we don’t know if that’s a possibility or not.

“He was upset. Emotional would be a good word. I think he likes it here a lot.”

Ross was asked if Frazier could have taken at-bats away from Jason Heyward, the 32-year-old veteran who is hitting .217. Heyward is starting on Friday night.

“No,” Ross said. “J-Hey will get the right-handed [against righties] at-bats.”

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Had anyone asked me back in Adam Sandler’s SNL days whether he could score as a viable dramatic lead, I would have snort-laughed my Sunny D back up right through my nose. After seeing Hustle, I do believe I may have misjudged Sandler’s ability to project anything requiring more emotional heft than, say, The Waterboy.

The first time Sandler appears in director Jeremiah Zagar’s basketball-centric redemption drama, he looks plum wore out. As we watch him hauling suitcases through a montage of airports and countries, he’s exhausted, disheveled, and moves with the unmistakable bearing and countenance of a middle-aged dude starting to seriously question what he’s doing with his life. So goes the life of Sandler’s Stanley Sugarman, a onetime NCAA basketball player who was taken out by a grisly injury and has been drudging for decades as a scout for the Philadelphia 76ers. 

As we follow the deeply empathetic and underdog-heroic Sugarman, Hustle spins a familiar plot (see also Rocky, Seabiscuit, Hoosiers, Moneyball, Bruised, ad infinitum) into a story that’ll keep you invested even if you don’t know a hoop dream from an embroidery hoop.

Moreover, Hustle becomes a pulse-racing thriller every time the action moves to a basketball court or the streets of Philadelphia, which becomes the training ground for Sugarman’s troubled protege, Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangómez, who plays for the Utah Jazz). It’s not hyperbole to say Hustle could do for Philadelphia’s Manayunk Hill what Rocky did for those 72 stone steps leading to the Philadelphia Art Museum. 

The tension of the scrimmages comes in part from the host of professional players featured throughout and in part from Dan Deacon’s percussive, propulsive, masterful soundtrack, which somehow manages to insistently ratchet up the stakes with every beat without once pulling focus from the gameplay. 

Add in Queen Latifah making the most of an underwritten supportive wife role and Robert Duvall as the 76ers owner and you’ve got, yes, a winning movie. R, 117 min.

Limited release in theaters and streaming on Netflix

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