The Boston Celtics are overflowing with banners, prestige and history, so when a player is still able to stand out fans must take notice. Although he is only 25 years old, Jayson Tatum is quickly proving himself to be a Celtics great after tying Larry Bird’s franchise record of 39 for most 30-point games in a single season, via ClutchPoints.
That mark had not been touched since 1988, 10 years before Tatum was born. The All-NBA First-Team selection has been in a bit of a shooting slump since the All-Star break, but he reminded fans why his name has been mentioned in the same sentence as Larry Legend this season in the team’s big, 132-109 road win over the Sacramento Kings Tuesday night. He scored 36 points to jump eight-time champion John Havlicek, per NBA.com’s Taylor Snow.
Jayson Tatum has tied Larry Bird in Celtics history with his 39th 30-point game of the season with this stretch lefty lay-up 🙌pic.twitter.com/ltkBO0vlX4
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) March 22, 2023
Tatum shot a scorching 14-of 25 from the field. The four-time All-Star’s offensive dominance is reflected in his 30 points per game average, the most ever by a Celtics player if it stands. That could be two categories in which he surpasses Bird. He has nine games left in the regular season to put up a 30-piece and seize sole occupancy of the record.
Boston (50-23) trails the first-place Milwaukee Bucks by two games and is only one game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference standings. The tight race incentivizes Tatum to enter postseason mode early. The C’s begin a three-game stretch against teams with a losing record before traveling to the Fiserv Forum for a massive showdown with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks on Thursday, March 30.
That would be a great time to break the record and send a message that the East still runs through Boston and Tatum.
Follow Us
Subscribe