Jayson Tatum snaps out of his slump with 41 points in win over Cavaliers

BOSTON -- Jayson Tatum's shooting slump is already a thing of the past. The Celtics star had a classic slump-busting performance Wednesday night with an explosive and efficient 41-point showing, lifting the Celtics to a much-needed victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Tatum was in desperate need of a bounce back effort after struggling to knock down shots in his first three games since the All-Star break. Those struggles became a real concern when he scored just 14 points in Monday night's loss in New York, which included a woeful 1-for-9 performance from downtown.

Those concerns lasted just a few nights, as Tatum knocked down 13 of his 21 shots on Wednesday, including 4-for-6 from 3-point land. He shook off a shaky start, scoring just two points off 1-for-4 shooting in the first quarter, and really got things going in the second when he scored 15 of his points.

Tatum said that getting a few easy buckets and finding his way to the free throw line helped him snap at of his mini-slide. He somehow forgot about the one bucket that really got his mojo back, a thunderous putback jam early in the second frame.

"Yeah. I guess it did [get me going]," he said after the win.

Tatum was frustrated throughout Monday night's loss to the Knicks, and was ejected for the first time in his career after he blurted out some unflatteringly sarcastic remarks to the officials late in the game. Usually when a player's shot is off, they'll make more of an effort to get to the hole and get a couple easy ones, or at the very least, get to the line. That wasn't really Tatum's game plan on Monday.

It was on Wednesday against a talented Cavs frontcourt, as 12 of his 21 shots came from within the restricted area. That led to 14 free throws for Tatum, and good things tend to happen when he gets to the line that often. Boston is 4-2 in games in which Tatum  hits the charity stripe 14 or more times.

"It opens things up. It wasn't like I was discouraged or worried that I hadn't shot that ball out of the break all that great. I just came out with the mindset of trying to find ways to win," Tatum said of his effort against the Cavs.

Tatum also added six rebounds and a pair of assists in the second quarter, before scoring 18 more points in the third as Boston built a 21-point lead. He got to 41 thanks to a trip to the free-throw line in the final seconds, after the Cavs made things a little too interesting in the closing minute. But the Celtics walked away with their first win over Cleveland this season, and Tatum can now build off his 10th game with 40 or more points this season.

But all the shots that Tatum made and the points that he scored are only part of the story of his performance. He nearly logged his second triple-double of the year with 11 rebounds and eight assists. Add those to his 41 points, and Tatum is now just one of three Celtics to put up such a robust stat line.

That's some quality company for the 24-year-old to join, and Grande later noted that Tatum's 61.9 shooting percentage on Wednesday is the best of that illustrious bunch. 

Those last-minute free throws also had Tatum moving up an NBA all-time list. Wednesday was his last game before he turns 25 on Friday, and Tatum needed 40 points to move into the top 7 of the league's under-25 scoring list.

With those late-game freebies, Tatum moved past Giannis Antetokounmpo with 9,429 before his 25th birthday. Only LeBron James (13,927 points), Kevin Durant (12,258), Carmelo Anthony (10,768), Kobe Bryant (10,658), Tracy McGrady (10,420), and Devin Booker (9,481 points) scored more points before celebrating their 25th birthdays.

Asked to reflect on the milestone, Tatum didn't think much of it.

"I never really take time to think about where I'm at or the things I've accomplished," said Tatum. "I'm just trying to enjoy the moment and stay present. Because these six years in the league have flown by. 

"But I'd like to think that I've been doing alright," Tatum added. "And hopefully continue to get better and stay healthy and improve and win some more games."

Winning games is what matters most for the Celtics at this point. But that becomes a lot easier when the team's best player is playing at his best. On Wednesday night, Tatum was back to being his best in an extremely important game for Boston.