Tatum Surpasses Bird
Jayson Tatum had 51 points, nine rebounds, and five assists as the Boston Celtics defeated the Charlotte Hornets 130-118. It was Tatum’s fifth career 50-point game, breaking a tie with Larry Bird for the most such games in franchise history. Tatum and Bird are the only Celtics to record multiple 50-point games.
Tatum is the seventh player in NBA history to reach five career 50-point games before turning 25 years old:
13 — Wilt Chamberlain
9 — Michael Jordan
8 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
8 — LeBron James
7 — Rick Barry
5 — Kobe Bryant
5 — Jayson Tatum
Tatum shot 15-25 from the field — including 7-12 from 3-point range — and made all 14 of his free throws. His true shooting percentage was 87.4%, the highest such figure in franchise history in a 50-point game:
87.4% — Jayson Tatum (Jan. 16, 2023)
83.2% — Tatum (Jan. 23, 2022)
83.0% — Kevin McHale (March 3, 1985)
82.7% — Tatum (April 9, 2021)
82.6% — Larry Bird (Nov. 10, 1989)
It’s the fifth time Tatum has made at least 15 field goals, 10 free throws, and five 3-pointers in a game. Only four players in NBA history have recorded more such games:
14 — James Harden
8 — Kyrie Irving
7 — Damian Lillard
6 — Kobe Bryant
5 — Jayson Tatum
5 — LeBron James
After hitting a rough patch in December and losing five games in a six-game span, the Celtics have won 11 of their last 13 games, including their last seven in a row. They lead the Eastern Conference by 4.5 games with an NBA-best record of 33-12.
