Jayson Tatum makes history in MVP performance against the Bulls originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Saturday at United Center, the Boston Celtics took their revenge on the Chicago Bulls thanks to a historic performance from Jayson Tatum.
The five-time All-Star had 43 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. Celtics win 123-98. It was his first triple-double of the campaign and the third of his career in the regular season.
He is the first player in Celtics history to score at least 40 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a game. It was the first 40-point triple-double by a Celtic since Larry Bird. Tatum accomplished the feat by shooting a scorching 16 of 24 from the floor, including 9 of 15 from 3-point range.
James Harden is the only other player in NBA history to have 40 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists and nine 3-pointers. He had 53 points, 16 rebounds and 17 assists with nine 3s in 2016 with the Houston Rockets against the New York Knicks.
Tatum actually got off to a slow start with just three points in the first quarter. But once he got going, there was nothing the Bulls could do to slow him down.
The 26-year-old caught fire with 13 points in the second quarter, 18 in the third and nine in the fourth. He spoke to NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin after the game about finding his rhythm.
“It’s a long game. You try to find ways to pick your spots, pick your streaks, especially on a team this good,” Tatum told Chin.
“We have so many guys that offensively it’s just about finding your moments to dominate the game. Joe (Mazzulla) is always just trying to make me dominate and amp up my teammates and make guys better in different ways .”
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was full of praise for his superstar, who he says still doesn’t get enough recognition for his greatness.
“I say that all the time about him because he’s been doing great things for so long. I always think he’s taken for granted,” Mazzulla said. “Because he’s been doing it for a long time, and because it’s relatively easy for him, and we’re in Boston, which is our expectation. But it was a great performance from him.”
The only honor that still eludes Tatum is the NBA MVP award. Most sportsbooks currently give him the fifth best odds to win the honor in 2025.
Mazzulla was asked if he thought Tatum’s talents were being overlooked in the MVP conversation.
“Yeah, without a doubt, 100 percent it is,” he replied. “Again, because he’s been doing it for so long and he’s on a really good team, and I think that hurts him sometimes. But his ability to do what he does in a great team, I think, says more about him as a player.”
After Saturday’s rout of the Bulls, Tatum is averaging 28.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists while shooting 45.3 percent from the floor this season. He’ll look to strengthen his MVP case when the C’s visit the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
Tip-off for Celtics-Magic is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
