Jayson Tatum drops career-high 41 points in blowout win over Pelicans
The former Duke Basketball superstar, Jayson Tatum, posted a career-high in points on Saturday night as the Boston Celtics dominated the New Orleans Pelicans.
While the Duke Blue Devils were in the midst of a demolition of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday night in their new ‘Brotherhood’ jerseys, it was one of the members of that iconic Brotherhood that was making his own history.
Former Blue Devil Jayson Tatum scored a career-high 41 points against the New Orleans Pelicans in a 140-105 win for the Boston Celtics.
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Tatum made 16-of-22 from the field, 6-of-9 from 3-point range, and he made all three of his free throws in addition to gathering six rebounds, four assists, and three steals while only committing one foul and he did not turn the basketball over.
The former No. 3 overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft posted his previous career-high of 39 points back on December 22 against the Charlotte Hornets.
In that game, Tatum scored his 39 points in 36 minutes but on Saturday, the future All-Star just need 30 minutes for his 41 points.
Also in the game, former Duke guard, and Tatum’s teammate in Durham, Frank Jackson, also had one of his best games of the season for the Pelicans.
Jackson came off the bench to drop 22 points in 33 minutes on 9-of-18 from the field and 4-of-10 from 3-point range.
Brandon Ingram scored 16 points while Jahlil Okafor had eight.
J.J. Redick did not play in the game due to a left hamstring strain and the Pelicans are still awaiting the return of No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson, whose return seems to be coming sooner rather than later.
The win moved Boston to 26-11 and the Celtics sit as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference while the Pelicans are 14-26 which puts then in the No. 14 spot in the West, four games behind the No. 8 seed.
Boston will remain at home to play the Chicago Bulls at 7:30pm EST on Monday, January 13 while the Pelicans will wrap up its three-game road trip in Detroit to face the Pistons on Monday with tipoff coming shortly after 7:00pm EST.