Former Duke basketball superstar Jayson Tatum put together a historic performance against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
The NBA Playoffs are here, and if you are Jayson Tatum, things could not have been any better.
Tatum and his Boston Celtics will be facing the Ben Simmons-less Philadelphia 76ers in the First Round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs, and without the 6-foot-10 do-it-all player in the lineup, the former Blue Devil sat down and feasted.
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Jayson Tatum posted playoff career-highs of 32 points and 13 rebounds in addition to one assist and three blocks on 10-of-21 shooting, 2-of-5 from 3-point range, and 10-of-11 from the free throw line.
The 22-year-old became the youngest player in Celtics history to record 30 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game as Boston came back and held on for a 109-101 victory.
In the landscape of the NBA, only Magic Johnson, LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Anthony Davis, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Hakeem Olajuwon have posted 30 points and ten rebounds in a playoff game at a younger age of Jayson Tatum.
Tatum helped his team hold a 70-59 lead in the third quarter, but the Celtics found themselves trailing 79-75 entering the fourth quarter before Boston rattled off nine straight points to take a 92-86 lead and never looked back.
Jayson Tatum also joined his fellow young stars of Donovan Mitchell, Jamal Murray, and Luka Doncic in scoring over 30 points on Monday as it was the first time in NBA postseason history that four players under the age 25 scored 30 or more points on the same day, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
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In the same theme of setting career-highs, Tatum set his new mark of scoring in a half in a playoff game as the All-Star went to the locker room at half-time with 21 points and eight rebounds.
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With a 1-0 series lead, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics will be back on the court with the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, August 19 at 6:30pm EST on TNT.