Jayson Tatum makes NBA history -- again
BOSTON -- Jayson Tatum is on a historic run this season, and with a future king and queen in attendance, the Celtics superstar etched his name in the NBA record books once again on Wednesday night.
In fact, Tatum did so twice in Boston's thrilling 134-121 win over the Miami Heat at TD Garden. He established two new NBA records on his way to a 49-point offensive clinic against Miami, accomplishing both in the fourth quarter.
His first came with 3:42 left to play, when Tatum drained the 900th three of his career. The triple made Tatum the youngest player to hit 900 threes and, at the age of 24 years and 272 days, he is the first to accomplish the feat before his 25th birthday. More important, it gave Boston a 126-117 edge.
Less than 90 seconds later, Tatum had another NBA record. He hit yet another three at the 2:21 mark -- his eighth on the night -- to give him 47 points on the evening. In doing so, he became the first player in NBA history to record multiple games of at least 45 points, eight made threes, and 10 rebounds. Tatum (who had 11 rebounds on Wednesday) had his first such night with a 51-point explosion against the Wizards last January, when he drained nine threes and pulled down 10 boards.
Six other players in NBA history have had one such night. Tatum has now done it twice.
Even the Royals were in awe of Tatum's performance on Wednesday.
Tatum dominated the game from start to finish, scoring 28 of his points in the first half. He scored another 13 in the third quarter, playing the entire frame as Jaylen Brown sat most of the quarter due to foul trouble. Tatum was 4-for-7 in the third, draining a pair of threes and adding two layups.
One of those layups came off an incredible swipe and drive by Boston's star player. While his offense is dropping jaws and making headlines, his defense is also at a ridiculous level this season.
Tatum got a breather to start the fourth, which is when Miami cut Boston's lead to four points with just over six minutes to play. Tatum checked back in and the Celtics closed the game on an 18-8 run, with Tatum accounting for eight of those points. He was serenaded with MVP chants when he hit the free throw line in the game's final seconds.
"That means everything," Tatum said of those chants during his postgame interview with NBC Sports Boston. "That's something I've dreamed about as a kid, and to hear it in front of our home crowd from the best fans in the world, it holds a special place in my heart. I love this place, I love being here, and hearing that during the game gives you chills."
He's certainly earning those chants. The Celtics are a quarter of the way through the season, and Tatum is the best offensive player in the NBA's best offense. He's second in the league at 31.6 points per game while hitting 48.8 percent of his shots. Only Kevin Durant has more total points than Tatum this season -- 699 to Tatum's 664 -- but he's played two additional games.
Will Tatum cool off at some point? Maybe. But he has blossomed into a one-of-a-kind player, someone who goes out and accomplishes history, and then does it again the very next game.
Those MVP chants will just get louder as Tatum continues his knock down shots and rack up the wins for the Celtics.
