According to Jack Baer of Yahoo! Sports on Friday, Jayson Tatum of St. Louis, Missouri became the youngest player in Boston Celtics history to record 50 points in a single game. At the age of 23 years and 37 days old, he accomplished the feat in a 145-136 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tatum finished the game by scoring 53 points.
In 41 minutes of action, Tatum made 16 of 25 field-goal attempts, six of 10 three-point attempts, and 15 of 16 free throws. He also had 10 rebounds, four assists and one blocked shot.
Only two Celtics players have actually had more than 53 points in a game according to Nick Goss of NBC Sports. On March 12, 1985, the great Hall of Famer Larry Bird of West Baden Springs, Indiana had 60 points for Boston in a 126-115 Celtics win over the Atlanta Hawks. Then on March 3, 1985, Kevin McHale of Hibbing, Minnesota had 56 points in a 138-129 win over the Detroit Pistons.
On the season, Tatum is now averaging 25.7 points per game, 7.1 rebounds per game, and 4.2 assists per game. In the Celtics’ 138-129 win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, Tatum recorded his third straight double-double. He had 28 points and 10 rebounds. Also during the streak, Tatum had 25 points and 10 rebounds in a narrow 101-99 win over the New York Knicks on April 7.
Tatum’s 53 points are the fifth-most points scored in a game this season. Stephen Curry recorded the most with 62 points in a 137-122 Golden State Warriors win over the Portland Trail Blazers on January 3.
The Celtics are now seventh in the Eastern Conference in what has been a rather average season for Boston. They have a record of 28 wins and 26 losses.
