The Boston Celtics tipped off Martin Luther King Jr. Day against the Charlotte Hornets, and Jayson Tatum made sure they did it in style. Tatum poured in 51 points, including 18 in the fourth quarter, in a 130-118 victory. It's Tatum's fifth 50-burger in the regular season in his impressive young career, passing Celtics legend Larry Bird for most in franchise history, per the Celtics' Taylor Snow.
Jayson Tatum went NUCLEAR on MLK Day 👀
51 points (18 in the 4th quarter)*
9 rebounds
5 assists15-of-23 FG
7-of-12 3PT
14-of-14 FT*Tied for the 3rd most points scored in a game on MLK Day pic.twitter.com/VpJGB1IHlc
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) January 16, 2023
Tatum cooked the Hornets all day long, effortlessly putting in his 51 points and going on a scoring barrage late in the game to seal the victory. The Celtics have now won seven straight games after a recent slump, grabbing full control at the top of the Eastern Conference and in the NBA in general. Boston is 33-12 on the season, which is 4.5 games ahead of the second-seeded Brooklyn Nets.
Jayson Tatum has been playing MVP-caliber basketball all season, and this is just another notch in his belt as he tries to win the award for the first time. After this 51-point explosion, he's now at 31.1 points per game, which is third behind Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid. He's also grabbing 8.3 rebounds and handing out 4.3 assists per game while shooting 47.1% from the field and 35.2% from 3-point range.
It's always special to pass a legend like Larry Bird in franchise history, and Tatum set this record at just 24 years old. There will surely be plenty more 50-point explosions in his Celtics future, though his real focus is getting back to the NBA Finals and finishing the job this time around.
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