In the Celtics second consecutive game against the Hornets, Jayson Tatum unleashed a masterclass 51 point performance. Tatum is now in a league of his own among Celtics greats for having the most 50+ point performances in franchise history. This notches him one more than Larry Bird and he is only 19 years old! Ok that part is a joke, but this is a big time feat for a still very young player.
During yesterday's matinee special, Tatum not only had the impressive 51 point stat-line, but he did it on an extremely efficient shooting performance. The 51 points came on 23 field goal attempts, of which he netted 15 attempts. For those of you not wanting to do the math, that's a 65% field goal success rate. Even more impressive is that 7 of those 15 field goals were from three point land. Tatum shot 58% on 12 three point attempts, far above his season average from that range. On the season, Tatum is shooting just 35% from behind the arc. It's safe to say that Jayson Tatum was "Tatuming" yesterday.
In the prior outing versus the Hornets on January 14th, Jayson Tatum scored another 33 points. Looking more historically, he has not scored less than 30 points versus the Hornets in their last 9 matchups. Perhaps it's time for the Hornets to slightly alter their game plan against this superstar?
The last time Tatum scored 50+ dates back to March 2022, but that doesn't mean he hasn't been on an absolute tear lately. In his last 5 games, Tatum is averaging 33.4 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists per game. This is slightly higher than his season averages which is continued to place him high on the MVP candidates list.
THE CELTICS CONTINUE ROLLING IN FIRST
While it's true that Jayson Tatum might be the MVP, he's just one piece in the unstoppable train the Celtics have become this year. In back to back wins against the Hornets this holiday weekend, Boston has now won seven games in a row. They are currently leading the Eastern Conference ranks, up 4.5 games on the Nets and Bucks.
TAKEAWAYS FROM RECENT WINS:
Derrick White continues to abuse his opponents and remind the world why he is one of the top dogs on the top team. He now has 41 blocks on the season, no other guard in the Eastern Conference even has 30. He's also consistently shooting the ball very well.
Malcolm Brogdon as it stands right now is the clear winner for 6MOY. He scored 30 points in just 31 minutes on Saturday while coming off the bench. He's averaging 18 PPG in his last 5 games and has taken control of the Celtics second unit.
Marcus Smart last game posted a +14 rating, second only to Jayson Tatum in the game. He contributed 10 points and 6 assists. His playmaking has been very impressive all season long, he's averaging 7+ assists per contest.
Payton Pritchard has been awarded more minutes in the last few games which in return has awarded Boston with incredible hustle and needed shooting. This gives the starters more rest and confidence knowing they can rely on him. His confidence is returning after not seeing much time the first half of the season.
LOOKING FORWARD
Celtics have won their last two in a row without Jaylen Brown on the floor, who is recovering from an injury. The Celtics, currently on a 7 game heater will match up against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night this week. This means the Celtics will get two day break between games. The last outing of these two teams was in early December where Boston lost in miserable fashion. It will fun to watch the Celtics shake off their last season ending woes against the Warriors and come to play on their home floor. Until then, let's go Celtics!
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