NBA Game Notes (Jan. 16, 2023)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on January 16, 2023.

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.