Jayson Tatum makes history in MVP performance vs. Bulls originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Saturday at United Center, the Boston Celtics exacted revenge on the Chicago Bulls after a historic performance by Jayson Tatum.
The five-time All-Star scored 43 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in the Celtics’ 123-98 rebound victory. 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 record 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 three-point range.
James Harden is the only other player in NBA history with 40 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists and nine three-pointers. He scored 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 opening 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 with NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin after the game about finding his feet.
“It’s a long game. You’re trying to find ways to pick your spots, pick your trajectories, especially on a team that’s so good,” Tatum told Chin.
“We have so many guys that offensively it’s just about finding moments to dominate the game. Joe (Mazzulla) is always trying to get me to dominate and build my teammates and make guys better in different ways.”
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla praised his superstar, who he said still doesn’t get enough recognition for his greatness.
“I say this about him all the time because he’s been doing great things for so long. I still think he gets taken for granted,” Mazzulla said. “Because he’s been doing it for a long time, and it comes relatively easily to him, and we’re in Boston, which is the expectation. But it was a big performance from him.”
The one award that still eludes Tatum is the NBA MVP award. Most sportsbooks currently give him fifth-best odds to earn the honor in 2025.
Mazzulla was asked if he thinks Tatum’s talents are being overlooked in the MVP conversation.
“Yes, there’s no doubt about it, that’s 100 percent the case,” 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 just his ability to do what he does on a great team, I think says more about him as a player.”
After Saturday’s loss to 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 add to his MVP case when the C’s visit the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
Tipoff for Celtics-Magic is set for 7:00 PM ET.
